The Things That Define Us
by Sese Daniels
Summary: Tigerlily wakes up in New Bark Town one day with amnesia. Gold and Silver find her, and they try to help her. She's dragged into a Pokemon Journey, slowly falling for one of her best friends. Bits and pieces of her past are revealed over time, but how will she take it? Team Rocket is hunting her, will she be safe? Or is it too late for that, and they just didn't know it?
1. Prologue: Reborn

**(Normal POV)**

It didn't matter how many times they tried, they always failed.

The test subjects never survived the experiment, it was just too much for a mere child to handle.

The scientists kept trying, however. They would continue to rewrite the DNA and attempt to improve the serum, praying that it would work. So many Pokemon and so many children died, neither one volunteered to undergo this torture.

Who were these people? What were they doing? What's happening?

Team Rocket was disbanded three years ago by a red haired boy. However, they're making a comeback. And this time...they mean business. They won't be taken lightly this time. They won't let some punk of a Trainer force them to disband, not again. Now, they have a weapon. That is...if they can make it work.

The scientists were all gathered around a steel table, restraining a young boy to it. They all got clipboards out and grabbed their pens. One of the scientists brought a tray over and set it down on the side table, next to the operating table. On that tray was a syringe. This one had a yellow liquid inside of it. This didn't make it any more special than the other copies of the serum, however. There was a large variety of different forms and colors of the serum.

In the background, you could see a couple of Team Rocket Grunts disposing of a lifeless body of yet another Pokemon, a Raichu. They carelessly threw its body into a large dumpster that was filled with the corpses of several other deceased Pokemon.

The scientists ignored the 7 year-old boy's protesting and screaming, they continued to go on with the experiment. They knew that this one was a bit too young and would most likely come out as a failure, but they didn't care. They had to weaponize the serum, no matter how many lives it took in the process. Chemical X-713 had to work, for the future of Team Rocket it _had_ to work.

On the opposite side of the laboratory was a giant, black musty cell. It was filled with children of both genders and of all ages. However, there was only one left, the scientists noted. If these next two kids both came out as a failure, just like the others, they would have to get more. However, this would attract too much attention. They might have to go to another region to find test subjects, to lessen the suspicion over the Johto Region. They couldn't be discovered, of course. Their plans can't and _won't_ be intercepted, not again.

There's no stopping Team Rocket, not this time. Because this time, they mean business.

The lead scientist picked up the syringe filled with yellow liquid and injected it into a vein in the boy's arm, the other scientists just watched. The boy's eyes went completely black, and he started to scream in pain at the top of his lungs. He thrashed about, the serum was flowing through his bloodstream. He tried to break out of the leather straps that bound him to the operating table, but had no luck.

He screamed, he shouted, and he shrieked.

The one child left, back in the cell, watched what was going on before her eyes in pure horror. She's a 17 year old, orange-haired girl. She tried to look away, but she couldn't. They forced you to watch.

Every kid, every time, every serum, every failure.

They forced you to watch.

Tears were streaming down her face, seeing the little boy die painfully before her. And yet, she couldn't do anything to save her little brother. She was helpless, and she knew it.

And she was next.

Static and thunderbolts emitted from the boy's body as he screeched in pain, they erupted all over the entire room. They left black charred marks all over the walls and ceiling, and the scientists just continued to take notes. They just stood there, letting this happen. The scary part was that they showed no remorse, no regret, _nothing_. They felt _nothing_. All they cared about was weaponizing the serum, perfecting it. Project M.E.S.H _must_ be a success.

_"Why are they doing this to us?"_ The girl thought to herself, struggling to regain her bearings.

Her brother was the only family she had left, and now he was gone.

She watched the little boy on the operating table go still, turning completely white. She heard a couple of the scientists mutter, "Tch, another one." They all commented to eachother, shaking their heads in annoyance.

She felt her heart break. Hot, steaming tears started to sear her cheeks as they trickled down her face.

He was gone.

And she was next.

The scientists picked up a file and stamped the word, "FAILURE" in blood red ink onto the paper. They muttered disappointed comments to one another, shaking their heads in disapproval and distaste. Giovanni was getting impatient, and they knew it.

A couple of Team Rocket Grunts came up to the cell, opened it, and tried to get the girl out.

She was in complete shock.

She couldn't move, she didn't fight it.

She watched them hurl her little brother's corpse on top of a pile of several others in the back of the laboratory. She was completely dumbfounded, they were all dead. All twenty five of them were dead...

And she was next.

By the time that she snapped out of it, she was already strapped down to the metal table that was stained with blood. She tried to break free of the leather straps, but had no such luck.

The scientists all went dead silent. Then, they started to frantically whisper to eachother.

_"Wait...something is different this time."_ The girl thought to herself, her eyes widened in horror.

All those times she was forced to watch all of the other twenty five kids go through the experiment, it _never_ went down like this.

_"So...what's different about this time?" _She wondered to herself, not grasping the importance of this particular run-through of the experiment.

A different scientist came running into the room. Compared to the rest, he was holding a considerably larger syringe that was filled with a fiery red liquid.

But, something was off...

There was a hint of a rainbow shining in the sparkly, fiery red serum.

_"What the hell...?"_ The girl thought to herself, cocking a brow in confusion. She just stared at the glowing, seemingly radioactive serum, and the red glistening light of it lit up her face.

She started to hold her breath, paralyzed with fear as the tip of the syringe pierced her skin, puncturing her vein.

She cried out in agony as the serum was injected into her bloodstream. She felt her insides tear arpart, bouncing around frantically. Her skin stretched, and then went back to normal. She was screaming as loud as she could possibly manage, hoping someone would hear her and come to her rescue, even though she knew no one would ever come. If she didn't even know where she was, then how would someone else know?

Her heart started to pound and her veins started to bulge, she felt as if she was on fire. She was sweating like crazy, trying to fight off her body's urge to give up. She fought it, putting up one hell of a fight.

The scientists just went wide-eyed as they watched, frantically scribbling down notes. It was working. The experiment, for the first time, was working. Chemical X-713 has finally been weaponized, inside of this one girl. Project M.E.S.H is a success.

The fire burning sensation in the girl's body was starting to die down, and the pain slowly subsided. A red glow enveloped the girl, causing her to feel relief. It was over, and she was alive.

She was the only survivor. The only one to ever make it. The only one to ever live.

The scientists gasped, astonished that the girl was able to fight the serum and not let death overtake her. She passed the test, they had to alert Giovanni right away. Someone was finally able to withstand Chemical X-713, and live.

What made her so different? She didn't know.

A scientist next to her picked up her file, and next to the name, "Tigerlily," he stamped the word, "SUCCESS," in bloody red ink.

The scientists just stared at the orange-haired girl in awe. She was the first, the very first to survive. Now, they just had to find out what made her so different.

She was the key.

If the scientists could figure out what went different this time, they could modify the serum of Chemical X-713 and make it work on the others. Things were finally going their way, after months and months of experimenting. They knew that the odds of this working again, without modifying the serum based off of the girl, were a _one in a million_ chance.

The orange-haired girl was exhausted. She felt like she was hit by a train and fell out of the sky 3 times. Her head started to throb as she felt pure and utter exhaustion start to wash over her entire body, and her muscles relaxed themselves.

She was so out of it that she didn't even notice a pink mirage Pokemon teleport inside of the laboratory, right in front of her. The pink pokemon engulfed herself and the girl in a white flash of light in an instant. The scientists tried to stop it, but the pink Pokemon was way too fast.

The straps were gone, and the girl was no longer on that dreaded steel table. The steel table stained with the blood of the unfortunate children who didn't survive the experimentation of Project M.E.S.H.

Feeling safe, she let herself drift off into a deep sleep.

She didn't realize it at the time, but she was no longer in the laboratory. The pink Pokemon had teleported her away to safety, in a patch of grass. She wasn't concious at the time, but the pink mirage Pokemon made sure to drop her off in a safe place.

New Bark Town.

And this...this was where the adventure all began.

* * *

**Was that a good first chapter/prologue? I'm not sure...wasn't sure if it was detailed enough or made the prologue clear enough. Hopefully you guys liked it! Depressing, I know, but it gets better from here! Keep reading! For those of you who didn't get it, those scientists doing the experiment ARE part of Team Rocket, got a few questions about that.**

**Anyways...read, review, and enjoy!**


	2. Chapter 1: A New Beginning

**This is a Pokemon HeartGold/SoulSilver Fanfic!**

**Disclaimer: Sese Daniels doesn't own Pokemon.**

**Claimer: I own all OC's and pretty much this entire story's plot (except for a few events that happened in the game/the timeline is similar) eh, you guys will see what I mean once you read the story!**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

**(Tigerlily's POV)**

"Aww...but Silvy..."

**WHACK!**

"OWW!"

"Don't call me Silvy, you idiot."

What the hell? My eyelids slowly fluttered open, and I started to get a good look at my surroundings. I was alone in a room, laying down on a couch. I was inside of what looked like a small, rural house of some sort. I had my head on a pillow and I was wrapped in a blanket. Well, that was an interesting thing to wake up to...but who was talking? Curious, I tried to stand up. But I completely face planted in the process...due to my legs feeling like Jell-o.

**CRASH!**

Well oww... And then, I started to feel the fiery pain burn everywhere, all over my body. A never ending inferno of painful muscle fatigue. Jheeze, what the hell did I do? Run a marathon?! Umm...I'm gonna go with...OWW! What the hell?! Why am I so sore?! Being stubborn and ignoring my body's cry in agony, I picked myself up off the floor and I managed to make my way to the door. I held onto the walls for support as I made my way around the corner, following the sound of the voices.

"You really didn't think this through, did you...?"

"What do you mean?"

"When she wakes up, she's probably going to think that you're some sort of freakin weirdo who kidnapped her. Although, the 'freakin weirdo' part isn't too far from the truth..."

Wait...are they talking about me?

...

**~Awkward Silence~**

...

"...Oh no! I don't want her to think that! I was just trying to be helpful!"

"You're an idiot...why am I even here, anyways?"

"Because I need you to help me figure out what I'm supposed to do now! Don't just stand there scolding me! Be a good friend and tell me what to do next!"

"We're not friends...I don't understand why that won't get through that thick skull of yours..."

"Aww, Silvy... I'm hurt..."

**WHACK!**

"OWW! NOW I REALLY AM HURT!"

I just made a weird facial expression as I listened to their conversation, I was standing right outside the doorway, out of sight. Well, I guess it's now or never... With as much strength as I could possibly muster, I managed to stumble through the doorway. Somebody caught me before I face planted again, thankfully...

"Hey! She's awake!" A boy with jet black hair said, pointing to me. He had on a red jacket, black shorts, red and white sneakers, and a black and gold hat. He was tall, actually pretty cute...

"Really now? Did you figure that out all by yourself?" The guy who caught me sarcastically asked. I just looked up and his red eyes met mine. He had longish red hair and was wearing a black jacket with red accents, dark blue jeans, and red and black shoes. And he's not all that bad looking, either...

Said red headed boy helped me get into a chair. He turned around to leave, but the other boy stopped him. "Wait! Where are you going?" He called out to the red headed boy, right as he exited the house.

Before shutting the front door, he retorted, "This is your problem, not mine."

**SLAM!**

I just looked up at the boy in the kitchen expectantly, and he turned back around to face me. "So...uh..." He awkwardly started off, scratching the back of his head. He was clearly at a loss for words.

I stifled a laugh, amused by this. "I know you didn't kidnap me, if it's of any consolation." I giggled, covering my mouth with my hand in attempt to muffle the laughing.

The boy just sighed in relief. "Well, that's good!" He nervously laughed, flashing me an awkward, yet likeable grin.

I just smiled back at him. "So...do you mind answering my questions...?" I hesitantly asked.

The boy just facepalmed, as if he was internally scolding himself. "Of course! Fire away!" He shot me a goofy grin.

I just looked at him with a weird look. "Well...ok. Where am I? How did I get here? Where is 'here'? And who are you?" I asked, pointing at the black-haired boy before me.

He processed the questions for a moment before responding. "Ok, well for one, you're in my house in New Bark Town. I found you outside, you were unconscious in a patch of grass in the town, so I carried you back here. And I'm Gold!" Gold explained.

I nodded my head in understanding. Wait...New Bark Town? Where the hell is that?!

"Now, you have to answer my questions!" Gold said, very enthusiastically.

He's really hyper... "Umm...sure?" I hesitantly squeaked out the words.

He seemed to sense my discomfort and calmed down, asking the questions in a considerate way. "Ok, who are you and why were you unconscious outside?" Gold asked, curiously.

I opened my mouth to speak, but that's when it hit me. I don't remember anything. Aw darn it...why does the universe hate me...? I can practically feel a mental wall in the back of my mind, blocking and preventing me from remembering anything. However, one tiny detail slipped out...my name. "Um... I think my name is Tigerlily... But, otherwise, I don't remember anything else." I admitted sheepishly, awkwardly rubbing the back of my neck.

Gold seemed shocked by this. He was slightly taken aback. "Amnesia...huh?" He asked, hesitantly. He seemed a bit curious.

I just did a shoulder shrug. "I guess so." I replied, dryly.

Gold nodded his head. "Well, then that changes everything!" He announced, punching his fist into the air, even more hyper than before.

I just shot him a weird look, raising an eyebrow. "Umm...how?" I asked him, not really getting it.

He looked back down at me in the chair before he pulled me to my feet. "You're coming with me!" Gold said, grinning like an idiot.

My confused facial expression got even more confused. I was starting to feel a little better, and felt like I could now stand up on my own.

Gold decided to elaborate on his confusing statement. "I'm going to take care of you! Y'know, help you get your memories back and everything!" He offered, ruffling my orange hair obnoxiously.

I was taken aback by this, completely shocked. Why is he being so nice to me? He literally just met me... "R-Really?" I stuttered. I looked up into his captivating gold eyes, blinking like an idiot.

He laughed and supportively wrapped an arm around my shoulders, guiding me towards the front door. "Of course!" He beamed down at me, he's at least 8-10 inches taller than me. Wow... "What are friends for, Tigerlily?" He asked me, very enthusiastically.

Friends? "You consider me your friend?" I asked, giving him an "are you serious...?" look.

Again, Gold just laughed. "Yes I do! Tigerlily, I sure hope you're interested in going on a Pokemon Journey!" He said as he brought me over to a large building nearby, it looked like a science lab.

Pokemon Journey...? Well. This is going to be interesting.

* * *

"Hmm...nothing seems to be wrong with her. It just seems like she doesn't remember anything about her life, but she can still function normally." Professor Elm observed as he walked around me in a circle, studying me.

How unnerving... I felt a wave of anxiety wash over me...why does being in a science laboratory make me feel so scared? So freaked out? So confused? Eh, It's probably nothing. Anyways, Gold took me to Professor Elm's lab to get checked out ("to make sure you're not dying!" were his exact words...what a drama queen...) Anyways, Professor Elm is the Pokemon Professor in Johto (which is apparently the Region I'm currently in) he can't explain why I'm so sore, but he was able to explain the amnesia a little bit. I took a seat near the researchers as I watched Gold and Professor Elm walk away from me until they were out of earshot. They started to discuss something as they would glance back at me occasionally throughout their conversation. I shot Gold a nervous smile as I raised my hand up a little and gave a slight hand wave. He shot me a warm, reassuring smile back.

So apparently, this is the deal with my amnesia:

1) I don't remember anything about the last 17 years of my life besides my first name and my age.

2) My knowledge has basically been reset. For example, I know what a Pokemon is, but I have no idea what any of the towns and cities in the Johto Region are. Basically, I remember how to "function normally" as Professor Elm explained, I know how to take care of myself. What I don't know are things like geography and anything about Pokemon...except for the fact that they exist...

3) I've basically reverted to the mind of a seven year old, you have to explain EVERYTHING to me. And I mean everything...

All of a sudden, my thoughts were interrupted. By who? Why, Gold, of course. Gold walked over, grabbed my hands, and pulled me up to him. He guided me to the back of the Lab where a large machine was. Professor Elm was standing next to it, pushing buttons on a computer next to it. All of a sudden, three Pokeballs rose up from the inside of the machine. I was just watching in utmost curiosity. Gold quietly laughed at my easily entertained nature. Well, that's something I didn't know about myself before... ...then again...that's probably because... I HAVE FREAKING DANG AMNESIA! Ok... I must've been a crazy person before I lost my memories because now I'm arguing with myself in my head. Shut up Tigerlily and pay attention to Professor Elm! Oh...right!

"I have three starter Pokemon with me, here." He pointed to the three Pokeballs on the machine. "You can each pick one." He said.

I just went wide-eyed and looked at Gold in complete shock. "I get to have a Pokemon?" I squealed girlishly, feeling a sudden wave of excitement wash over me. Hmm...I guess I really like Pokemon...

Gold just laughed and ushered me closer to the machine. "Yes, Tigerlily, you get one. I'll let you pick first!"

I looked at the three Pokeballs in front of me. The first Pokeball was labeled as the grass type, Chikorita. The next one was a water type, Totodile. And the last one was... I gasped and snatched the last one, clutching it close to my heart. I felt a deep and personal connection with this Pokemon, I felt the urge to befriend it. Cyndaquil...what a nice name for a Pokemon.

Gold laughed again. "I take it you like fire types?" He joked.

I nodded my head vigorously, still cuddling the Pokeball. Gold picked the Chikorita, and Professor Elm continued to talk.

"I would like you two to go on a journey together _and_ do me a favor. I would like for you to record data on all Pokemon you see and meet, with these." He handed us two rectangular devices. I got the red one, and Gold got the blue one. I just eyed the device curiously as Professor Elm explained what they were. "Those are called Pokedex's. They're basically Pokemon encyclopedias. Use them to record data on all the Pokemon you meet along the way. And don't forget to have fun on your journey!" He was then interrupted by the phone ringing.

Professor Elm walked over to his desk and picked it up, holding up the reciever to his ear. "Uh huh...yes... Yes I, I understand. Thank you, I'll send someone...now? But I...oh all right. I'll send someone over right away, thank you Mr. Pokemon." Professor Elm hung up the phone and walked back over to us.

"What was that about?" I asked him, curiously.

Professor Elm just sighed. "Can I ask a favor of you two? That was Mr. Pokemon, an acquaintance of mine. He said he's found a rare Pokemon egg and insists that I come take a look at it. Tigerlily, Gold, will you two go and get it, please?" He asked.

I nodded, very excited. "Of course! You can count on us!" I cheered.

Gold just laughed as we walked out of the lab, I turned left and started to head that way, when...

"Uh...Tigerlily? Mr. Pokemon's house is this way..." Gold pointed in the completely opposite direction I was going in.

I just sweatdropped. "Oh, I knew that...eheh..."

Gold just laughed as we started to walk that way, but something stopped me. I noticed that red headed boy from before, standing outside the side of the lab, looking in through a window. Gold didn't notice I left his side and kept walking straight ahead. Meanwhile, I walked up to the strange boy. I tapped him on the shoulder, delicately, and politely. He was furious, very pissed off. He started to rant cruel words as he spun around to face me. But, when our eyes met, I saw his expression soften a little bit.

Annoyed, the boy spoke up. "Oh...it's you." He practically growled at me.

I just shot him a weird look as I stubbornly put my hands on my hips. Someone has anger issues...clearly. "Well, nice to see you again, too. Y'know, I never caught your name." I stated sassily.

"That's because I didn't give it." He said bluntly.

I just did a fake sigh in disappointment. "Well, if I don't know your name, I guess I'll just have to call you by Gold's nickname for you for the rest of your life, then." I smiled sweetly and innocently as I gave him a soul piercing stare.

He could tell I was emitting a dark and frustrated aura as I was giving him the stare. He made an audible gulp before speaking up. "...you wouldn't..." He narrowed his eyes at me in disbelief.

"I wouldn't what...Silvy?" I said teasingly.

I could practically see his eyes catch on fire when I said that. "FINE. It's Silver." Silver reluctantly introduced himself, very pissed off.

I just beamed up at him and playfully slugged him in the shoulder. "See, that wasn't so hard, now, was it?" I teased with a goofy grin.

Silver just groaned and rolled his eyes. Then, he realized something and stared back at me. "And I don't believe I caught your name, either." He stated.

I just smirked and relayed him back his own words. "That's because I didn't give it."

Silver shot me a very slight smile, he made an audible noise in amusement at my retort.

I just laughed. "I'm Tigerlily." I held my hand out to him for him to shake.

He just stared at it, then back at me. He was giving me a "it's not gonna happen" look.

I just shot him an innocent look. "I'm just gonna stand here all day until you shake my hand, Silvy." I teased.

He just sneered and violently shook my hand. He spun around on his heel, now ignoring me, and continued to look through the Lab's window.

"What are you...a stalker?" I stifled a laugh.

Silver spun around and started to shoot a thousand daggers at me. "I am not a-" but he was cut off by Gold (who just now realized I was gone)

"TIGERLILY!" He called out to me, stopping a ways from me and Silver, waving frantically.

I spun around to face the direction he was in. "I'm coming!" I yelled back excitedly.

As I started to walk back over to Gold, I looked over my shoulder and said something to Silver. "Bye, Silver! It was nice meeting you!" I smiled and waved good-bye to him. "Have fun being a stalkerrrrrrrr!" I sang that last part teasingly.

Silver opened his mouth to say something in defense, but decided against it and just turned back to the window.

What a strange guy...but I can tell that I'm warming up to him! Gold and I continued our way down the Route. It was covered in tall grass and lush green trees framing the sides of the path. Gold showed me how to catch a Pokemon, and told me that I could use some of his Pokeballs if I needed any (since I didn't have a bag) After Gold trained his Chikorita a bit, I realized something. I went wide-eyed and abruptly stopped walking, catching Gold's attention.

"Tigerlily...? What's wrong?" He worriedly asked, placing a hand on my arm.

"I haven't even met my Pokemon yet!" I yelled in shock, slapping my hands on both sides of my face.

Gold just laughed, amused, and unclipped Cyndaquil's Pokeball from my belt. "Ready?" He smiled, placing my Pokeball in my hand, our hands touched for a brief moment.

I started to feel nervous. "No!" I squeaked out the words, cringing and shutting my eyes tight. "What if they don't like me!" I started to panick and flail ineffectivly.

Gold just laughed. "Calm down, Tigerlily. You're fine, of course your Cyndaquil will like you!" Gold tried to reassure me.

I just stared down at the Pokeball in my hand and gulped. Gold walked beside me and supportively placed a hand on my shoulder. My nerves were shot as I released my starter Pokemon.

**FLASH!**

The adorable little fire starter popped out of the Pokeball and looked up at me curiously. My jaw dropped and I fell to my knees, embracing the cute little Pokemon in a hug. "You're soooooooooooooo cute!" I squealed girlishly.

Gold just laughed and helped me up off the floor. I continued to nuzzle Cyndaquil (who took a strong liking to me...oddly) and we were bonding as we continued down the Route, apparently making our way to Cherrygrove City. Upon entering, Gold took me to the Pokemon Center so we could heal up our Pokemon after we trained a bit.

Being a Pokemon Trainer is a whole new thing...but I think I like it. I asked Gold where Mr. Pokemon's house was, and he told me it was just up north from Cherrygrove. Gold bought some supplies from the PokeMart before we made our way to Mr. Pokemon's house. After about 10 minutes of walking and battling wild Pokemon, Gold and I found ourselves outside a house deep inside the wooded Route.

"Ready?" Gold flashed me his goofy smile.

"As ready as I'll ever be." I replied as we both pushed open the door, stepping inside.

I looked around at my surroundings, taking in all the detail. There were large bookshelves and display cases everywhere, filled with rare looking artifacts and items. To my right were two older looking men sitting at a table. I had walked in first, in front of Gold, so they noticed me first, naturally. One of the men shot straight up out of his seat and bounded over to me.

"Oh? You must've been sent by Professor Elm, correct?" The guy I presumed to be Mr. Pokemon, asked me.

I opened my mouth to reply, but he just took it as an immediate "yes" and took off running towards the back of the house, going into another room. The other older man that was sitting back at the table chuckled at Mr. Pokemon, and stood up as he made his way over to me. He had a white lab coat on...must be a researcher, I suppose.

"Hello." He greeted me, holding his hand out for me to shake. I smiled and graciously shook his hand as he introduced himself. "I'm the Pokemon Professor back in Kanto, Professor Oak. And who might you be, young lady?" Professor Oak asked me.

Gold had distracted himself by looking around the exhibits, admiring all the sparkly objects. He seemed to be completely captivated by any shiny or sparkly object in the room. I swear...he can be such a Furret at times...

Eh? Oh, right! "I'm Tigerlily!" I introduced myself.

Professor Oak just smiled down at me. "That's an interesting name. So, you're a Trainer?" He pointed to Cyndaquil (who was perched on my shoulder) I just patted him on the head as he began to nuzzle my face.

"As of today, I suppose I am?" I said sheepishly, though it sounded like more of a question, rather than a statement.

Professor Oak just laughed. "Y'know, I can see you have a lot of potential, Tigerlily." He said.

That's an interesting thing to say... Why does that sound so familiar...

* * *

**~SUDDEN FLASHBACK (DISEMBODIED VOICES ONLY)~**

_"This one has a lot of potential."_

_"I couldn't agree more, she's the right age, unlike the others."_

_"Exactly, if any of them should survive, it's her."_

_"The preliminary examination revealed that she has a lot of strength within her, perhaps she'll be the first."_

* * *

**~Back to Present Day~**

What the hell was that? Maybe...a memory? But... A memory of what?

"Tigerlily..." Gold called my name in a sing-song voice, snapping his fingers in front of my face.

I shook my head, snapping out of my trance. "Er...sorry Gold!" I sheepishly apologized.

I noticed Mr. Pokemon had come back into the room and handed Gold what I suspected to be the Pokemon egg. All three of them were staring at me, worriedly. Gold and I dismissed ourselves, exiting Mr. Pokemon's house. He eyed me curiously, probably trying to figure out what just happened back there. Was I gonna tell him? Nope. Why should I? Gold was about to say something, but his Pokegear rang. Seeing it was Professor Elm, he picked it up.

_"TIGERLILY! GOLD! GET BACK TO THE LAB ASAP!"_ Professor Elm's voice was loud and shaky, he was clearly panicking.

Gold furrowed his eyebrows in confusion. "What's wrong, Professor?" He asked.

_"A POKEMON HAS BEEN STOLEN FROM THE LAB!"_

* * *

**LET THE SUSPENSE EAT AWAY AT YOUR SOULS!...Just teasing! I hope you guys liked the first "official" chapter. I guess it was well...eh. Like I always say, the story will only get better from here!**

**Read, review, and enjoy!**


	3. Chapter 2: One of the Many Misadventures

**(Tigerlily's POV)**

I ran as fast as I could. I ran. And ran. And I ran. Gold and I split up for the time being, trying to find the Pokemon theif. Who was it? Don't know. What Pokemon was stolen? Don't know. Yeah...Professor Elm just started to panick like a little girl over the Pokegear so much, that his words slowly began to turn into jibberish. All we could understand from his rant was that someone had broken in and stole a Pokemon from the Lab. Gold decided he would check on the forest/Route that had Mr. Pokemon's house on it to block the theif from getting away. Meanwhile, I was retracing my steps, heading back to the Professor's Lab. As I entered Cherrygrove once again, I noticed a certain red headed boy.

"Siiiiiilllllllllvvvvvvveeeeeeerrrrrrrr!" I sang his name in a sing-song voice as I ran up behind him and jumped onto his back, wrapping my arms around his neck as my legs just dangled straight down.

"What the HELL do you think you're doing?" Silver growled as he shook me off.

I put on a hurt expression, bringing out cutesy-eyes. "Aww. You don't have to be so mean!" I playfully bopped him on the head as he turned around to face me, shooting me a death glare. That's cute, he thinks he's being intimidating! Haha...Yeah, no. Not intimidated in the least bit. Unaffected, I just held my gaze and smiled joyfully, batting my eyelashes innocently.

"Damn it...that usually works..." Silver grumbled under his breath.

I sassily put my hands on my hips as I just smirked a Silver. "Y'know, if you want people to like you, you should really try and be nicer." I crossed my arms as I finished.

He just scoffed. "Who said I wanted anyone to like me?" He asked the rhetorical question.

"Well, that's too bad, because I like you whether you like it or not." I shot him a "dead serious" look.

He seemed slightly taken aback by this. He was about to say something, when he noticed Cyndaquil (who was cowering from Silver, poking his head out from behind my leg)

"You're a Trainer?" He asked skeptically as he pointed to Cyndaquil.

I scoffed. "Of course! Why do you ask? Wanna battle me?" I smirked, going into my confidence stance.

"Actually...I would like to see how you battle." Silver replied as he unclipped a Pokeball from his belt, sending out a Pokemon.

**FLASH!**

A Totodile popped out.

"Did Professor Elm give you a Pokemon, too?" I asked, tilting my head to the side in confusion.

"Something like that..." He grumbled under his breath, but I heard it.

Wait a second. Am I about to battle Silver?! BUT I KNOW NOTHING ABOUT POKEMON BATTLING!

"Totodile, use Water Gun!"

Crap. "Cyndaquil, dodge and use tackle!" Ooooooor maybe I do, actually... Cyndaquil jumped over the beam of water Totodile shot at him, tackling the small water-alligator to the ground.

"Tch. Get up and hit it again, Totodile." Silver sneered.

I cringed at the harshness of his words, as if I was the Pokemon he was scolding. Totodile cringed as well, and I felt a pain in my heart. What was this...empathy? No...that can't be it...it's as if I can feel his pain...weird... Oh wait. I'm battling! "Cyndaquil! Use pound!" I ordered. Before Totodile could fire another Water Gun, Cyndaquil punched him square in the jaw with his Pound attack, sending the water type crashing into the ground. It must've been a critical hit because the impact was too much for the little guy to bear, he fainted. I winced, that had to hurt. "Great job, Cyndaquil!" I cheered for my Pokemon, picking him up in my arms and spinning him around.

_"Thanks, Tigerlily!"_

I froze and stared at the Pokemon down in my arms. I just went wide-eyed and shot him a quizzical look, as he did the same.

_"Wait...you can understand me...can't you?"_ Cyndaquil hesitantly asked.

I awkwardly nodded my head "yes" very slowly.

"Ahem." Silver cleared his throat, bringing me back down to earth.

I set down Cyndaquil and walked up to Silver as he returned the fainted Totodile to its Pokeball. "That was a fun battle, we should do it again sometime!" I beamed up at him, smiling kind of goofy. He just narrowed his eyes at me as he brushed past me, trying to walk away. I felt kind of hurt, him leaving me standing there, just like that. "Wha...wait!" I called out, grabbing his hand to make him stop walking away from me.

He sharply spun around and glared at me. "What." He sneered.

"Will you come with us?" I asked, tilting my head to the side.

He just shot me a weird look. He opened his mouth to say something, but before he could respond, I quickly spoke up. "Think about it for a bit." I started to say. Hah! That rhymed! Right...keep talking... "If you'd like to travel with me and Gold, wait here. We have to go to the Professor's Lab real quick, and then we'll come meet up with you!" I beamed up at him. "But...if you don't want to come..." My face started to darken, and despite my attempt to cover it up, my voice sounded hurt. "Then you can just leave...and I...I understand..." I rubbed my arm, looking down at the ground. His jaw clamped shut, he didn't say anything. I could've sworn I saw Silver's face soften at that last part. I didn't give him a chance to answer, I just spun around on my heel and started to walk down the path, heading back to the Professor's Lab. As I walked down the Route, I let my mind wander. Why am I doing this? Why am I going on a Pokemon Journey with Gold...and possibly (highly doubt it) Silver? Why do I even care about these guys so much? Why am I doing any of this, actually... I just met the both of them today...so why do I even care? And then it hit me. Because I have no where else to go, and no one else to turn to.

"Tigerlily!" Gold called out to me from inside New Bark Town, he was waving frantically as he tried to get my attention.

What the? But he was just back there...and...so how did he...? Gah...he's, well...Gold. I shouldn't even ask how. I just facepalmed and ran over to Gold, we both went into the Lab. Dang. The window on the left side of the Lab was shattered, broken glass was all over the floor. There were muddy boot prints on the floor, leading up to the machine that previously had the Pokeballs on it. The third remaining Pokeball was gone, and I knew exactly who had it. Beakers, Petri dishes, and research papers were scattered everywhere. Looks like the theif made a real big mess... As Gold and I walked towards the back of the Lab, I noticed that there was a policeman talking to Professor Elm, probably taking his statement. Gold had returned his Chikorita to her Pokeball earlier to let her rest up, while I had Cyndaquil out, sitting on my shoulder. The policeman turned to face us, and went wide-eyed at the sight of me and Cyndaquil.

"YOU!" He pointed at me accusingly.

I was taken aback as I shot him a confused look. "...me?" I squeaked out the words, pointing to myself in disbelief.

"YES! YOU!" He walked over to me and harshly grabbed my arm and bent it behind my back, practically ripping it off. He was trying to slap handcuffs on my wrists as I protested.

I cried out in pain (normally this wouldn't be so painful, but I was still sore, may I remind you)

"HEY! LET TIGERLILY GO!" Gold forcibly pushed the policeman away from me, who released his grip on my arm.

I winced as I rubbed the sore spot, that's probably going to leave a bruise.

"What are you doing?!" The policeman questioned Gold. "She's the theif! She has one of the Lab's Pokemon, AND she even returned to the scene of the crime! The evidence all points to her!" The policeman argued.

At this point, Professor Elm stepped up. "Officer, you have it all wrong! Tigerlily is one of my Dex holders!" He stated, standing up for me. The policeman looked kind of sheepish as Gold glared a thousand daggers at him, probably for man-handling me earlier. Wow, Gold's being serious/ticked off? I thought that was Silver's job. Speaking of the red head... "Besides, it was a red haired boy that broke in here, I saw him as he left." Professor Elm explained. I just gulped, turning to look at Gold. Well, that confirmed my suspicion. Gold looked at me nervously, coming to the same realization. I gave him a look that said, "don't say anything." He slightly nodded his head "yes" in return. Gold handed the Professor Mr. Pokemon's Pokemon Egg, explaining everything that happened when were were on the egg-fetching errand. After the policeman took our statements, we were dismissed, finally... We exited the Lab and started to make our way back to Cherrygrove as Gold spoke up.

"Thanks for covering for Silver back there, Tigerlily." Gold thanked me.

I gave a slight head nod in return. "No problem."

"I know he's not really the nicest guy, but he still is a decent one, once you get to know him." He explained. Once again, I nodded. I was distracted, my mind racing in a million different directions. "You seem to be thinking something over, what's on your mind?" Gold shot me a look of concern, we were starting to approach Cherrygrove now.

I just sighed. "Well, I ran into Silver earlier, and I asked him if he would like to come with us." I explained.

Gold seemed a little shocked at this. "Really? What did he say?"

"I didn't give him the chance to answer, I told him to wait for us in Cherrygrove if he wanted to come along." I explained.

"Oh, that makes sense as to why you seem distracted." Gold obeserved. I nodded my head in agreement. "I wouldn't get your hopes up." Gold bluntly said as we stepped into Cherrygrove. "I don't think Silver will want to..."

"SILVER?!" I shouted in astonishment, cutting Gold off.

Sure enough, the red head was leaning up against the outside of the Pokemon Center, waiting. I just smiled and ran over to him. I playfully punched him in the arm. "I knew you liked me." I just giggled and ruffled his hair, thouroughly pissing him off. He just shot me a glare. He didn't bother to make up an excuse for as to why he was gonna go with us. Gold was completely shocked.

"Well, if it isn't Silvy." He arrogantly smirked.

**WHAM!**

"OWW! C'mon, Silvy! Don't be like that!"

**WHAM!**

"GODDAMMIT!"

"How many times do I have to tell you not to call me that..."

I just fell over anime style. Well...this was an interesting misadventure. I can't wait to see what tomorrow brings! "C'mon guys, let's goooooo!" I said cheerfully, bounding out of Cherrygrove with Cyndaquil at my heels.

* * *

**(Silver's POV)**

"I'm surprised you're actually coming." Gold said as we both watched Tigerlily run out of the town, very hyper-like.

"What can I say, it's helpful to keep your enemies close." I said dryly.

Gold just snickered. "Yeah, because that's totally your reason for coming along." Before I could even retort, Gold sighed as we both started to try and catch up to Tigerlily. "I swear...that girl is way too peppy for someone who has amnesia..." Gold commented.

What? Tigerlily has amnesia? Wow...I never even noticed that... "Wait...She has amnesia?" I asked in disbelief.

Gold confirmed it with a head nod. Wow. She's practically starting her life over with a clean slate, no memory of the past one. And yet, she seems to go unphased by it all. Wait a sec. I lost a Pokemon battle to a girl with amnesia and half a brain?! Arceus...

* * *

**Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaand chapter 2 is done. So, the trio now shall embark on their journey in a land of...yeah screw the formal stuff. Yay! They're all traveling together! Are you guys gonna be able to handle all the excitement, adventure, friendship, Pokemon battling, violence, death, plot twists, tons of romance, a legendary boss fight, and more, from here on out? I sure hope so!**

**Read, review. and enjoy!**


	4. Chapter 3: Rain

**(Tigerlily's POV)**

"Are we there yet?"

"No."

...

"How about now?"

"No."

...

"How about..."

"GODDAMMIT WOMAN I SAID NO!"

Gold just snickered as I continued to annoy Silver, we've been going at it like this for the past hour. We had passed Mr. Pokemon's house and turned left, past a pond. We were headed towards a place called Violet City. Apparently, there's something called a Pokemon Gym there. Remember how I said that I needed almost everything to be explained to me? Well, this is one of those things... Gold tried to explain to me a bit on how the League system works. Apparently, each region has 8 Gyms that you collect badges from in order to enter the regional League, the best of the best Trainers. This region has the "Johto League" although, the name is kind of a given. Yeah, I have no prior knowledge about anything having to do with being a Trainer. Whoever I was before I lost my memories, it certainly didn't have anything to do with training Pokemon. And how the hell can I talk to Cyndaquil...? No idea... I decided not to tell the boys about this, fearing the worst. No one can talk to Pokemon, it's an impossible talent, everyone knows that. If someone found out, who knows what would happen to me... Although, on a more positive note, it has allowed me to bond with the little guy a lot more. As a result of being able to communicate with Cyndaquil, I think it makes him about five times easier to train than most Pokemon. I think I can use this to my advantage... I have to admit, being a Pokemon Trainer didn't sound all that interesting...at first. But now, I really like battling! Silver had challenged me to a rematch, and I won, again. I guess you can say that created a little tension between us. And by us, I mean he's frustrated with me, not the other way around. "Silver, are we there yet?" I asked him, AGAIN.

He just narrowed his eyes at me and shot me a death glare. "Look around you, does it look like we're in a city?!" He was starting to lose his temper.

I just laughed. I'm not THAT stupid, I can see that we're not there yet. So why do I keep asking Silver if we are every other minute? To annoy him, of course! I really enjoy doing that, it's rather entertaining! "Are we there...MMMFM MFF MFF!" My question got muffled by Silver slapping his hand over my mouth.

"Ask me that one more time, I dare you." He growled at me, practically emitting a dark aura.

"MMF MFF MMMHMMM MHHFF?" I asked him again, but it was muffled. Even though it sounded like it was gibberish, both guys understood that I dared to ask the question again. Silver just groaned and tried to run ahead, but I chased after him. "WAAAAAAIT UPPPP SILVERRRR!" I called out, frantically chasing after my friend. Are both Gold and Silver my friends? Yes. Am I their friend? Gold, yes. Silver, not so much. Gold just busted out into a fit of laughter as he started to chase us, trying to catch up.

* * *

I could see city lights up ahead as the sky was getting darker and more cloudy, looks like we had perfect timing! It was starting to get late. I finally caught up to Silver, and Gold caught up to us. We all went into the Pokemon Center at the entrance, giving our Pokemon to Nurse Joy to heal. We rented a room for the night, seeing as how it was getting late. Our room was #8. There were two sets of bunk beds. I took the top bunk on the left side, Gold took the top bunk on the right side, and Silver took the bottom bunk underneath me. Why did Silver pick the bed underneath me, even though he 'supposedly' can't stand me? Because he was trying to get as far away from Gold as possible, seeing that he snores very loudly (...or so I've heard) We all got settled in, getting our stuff in order, and then we sought out to find a place to eat. Gold found a little Café not too far from the Pokemon Center. We walked in and all took a seat at a table. As we picked up the menu's, I realized something, going wide-eyed. I abruptly just slammed my head down onto the table, startling both boys majorly.

"Tigerlily! What're you doing?!" Gold panicked as I continued to bash my head on the table, dealing with an internal argument with myself.

"Careful now, we wouldn't want you getting more brain damage, now, would we?" Silver joked.

I stopped banging my head on the table to glare at him. We had an extreme glare contest until Gold managed to break it up. "Tigerlily, why were you slamming your head down on the table...?" Gold asked, bringing me back down to earth.

I turned to look at him. "I have amnesia." I scoffed, as if it was obvious.

"Wow, what a shocker."

**WHACK!**

"GODDAMMIT WOMAN!"

"Silver! Stop calling me that! I have a name, y'know!"

I turned to look at Gold, calming my temper a bit after slapping Silver. "I have no idea what I like...what am I supposed to do? What if I order something I'm allergic to and die?!" I panicked, being a total drama queen.

"Oh..." Gold said, understanding my problem.

"Yes, your death would definitely be a tragedy." Silver scoffed sarcastically. I just glared a thousand daggers at him.

"Well, why don't we get you something that has a little bit of everything? And if you have an allergic reaction, well...good thing we're near a Pokemon Center!" Gold said that last part jokingly.

**WHACK!**

"OWW!"

"Gold, you're a real idiot sometimes." I just shot him a weird look.

"I get that more than you'd think." Gold laughed nervously, rubbing the now-sore spot on the back of his head.

"Despite the idiocy of that last part, he actually has a point." Silver added.

I thought about it for a moment. "Hmm...I guess that's true. I suppose I'll just get a sampler plate or something." I concluded. The waitress came by and took all of our orders, she was back in a few minutes with our entrees. Gold ordered a sandwich, Silver got a sushi platter, and I got a sampler plate. I looked down at the plate, a little conflicted on what to try first. Sushi, rice, noodles, caminari, shrimp...what should I try first?

"Well, this should be interesting." Silver mused as both guys watched me curiously, waiting to see what happened.

I cautiously picked up a piece of shrimp with my chopsticks and placed it into my mouth. Well, now I know I like shrimp! I happily devoured the shrimp and rice pretty quickly.

"Ok, so you like shrimp. Now, why don't you try something else?" Gold suggested.

I contemplated my choices as Silver and Gold just watched, clearly amused by my complete and utter weirdness. Some things I've learned about me today: I'm weird, like to annoy people (*cough* *cough* Silver *cough* *cough*) I'm very talkative, mostly a happy-go-lucky person, very cheerful, and an optimist. Also, I'm handling the whole amnesia thing pretty well, if I do say so myself. I picked up a sushi roll, being adventurous and trying it. I shut my eyes tight and cringed, scrunching up my face as I shook my head "no" vigorously, hesitantly swallowing it. I was apparently making my "I don't like this" face. **(A/N: Yes, I actually make that face whenever I eat something I don't like. That facial expression didn't just come out of no where XD) **Silver nearly choked on his drink at the sight of my facial expression, and Gold just busted out laughing. I chugged my glass of water, trying to get that horrid taste out of my mouth.

"So, I'm getting this feeling you don't like sushi." Silver joked, flashing me an egotistical smirk.

I just glared at him. "Gee, what gave you the first clue."

"Here, why don't you try this?" Gold handed me a bite of his sandwich.

So the rest of the night pretty much consisted of the guys giving me a bunch of different things to try, considering I had no memory of what anything is/tastes like. Things I now know I like: Salmon, Shrimp, Rice, Sandwiches, Miso Soup, Soda (the greatest creation ever!) Yeah, Silver has officially banned me from sugar and caffeine, for the safety of those around me. I still don't get why, my sugar rush wasn't that bad! I stopped being a hyperactive spazz after about 20 minutes... Things I hate: Mushrooms, Tomatoes, Sushi, anything raw, a wide variety of vegetables, and pretty much anything spicy or sour. All was going well until I noticed a green dip of some sort on the side of my plate. Curious, I picked it up and plopped it into my mouth.

"TIGERLILY DON'T..." Gold tried to stop me, but it was too late.

Don't wha...Oh. My. Arceus. "ARCEUS THAT'S HOT! IT BUUUUUURRRRNNNSSSS!" I shrieked as I started to chug glass of water after glass of water.

Gold cringed at my pain while Silver just laughed. "You're an idiot. That's Wasabi, Tigerlily." Silver shot me and egotistical smirk.

I just glared at him. "YOU IDIOT! I HAVE AMNESIA! HOW WAS I SUPPOSED TO KNOW THAT!?"

"Silver, did you just call Tigerlily by her name?" Gold mused, smirking confidently as he cocked a brow. Hmm...he did, didn't he?

Finally getting that painful burning sensation out of my mouth, I just smiled sweetly at Silver. "Aww, is someone starting to like me?" I teased him, patting him on the head. Silver just shot me a death glare. I knew I was warming up to him!

**BOOM!**

**CRACKKOW!**

What the? I looked outside to see it was pouring rain. Looks like someone really pissed off Raikou, that's one hell of a rainstorm.

"Hmm...that came fast. I thought we'd be able to make it back to the Pokemon Center before the rain started." Silver observed.

I just pressed my face to the window, looking outside at the thunder-storm. I felt this unnerving feeling down in my gut. Why? It's just rain...

"We should probably get going, then." Gold suggested.

We paid for our meals and headed for the front door of the Café, getting ready to step outside. Gold and Silver went ahead, while I hesitated back at the entrance. Do I seriously have an irrational fear of the rain? I just mentally scolded myself as I toughed it out and stepped into the rain, plodding behind Gold and Silver. See? It's not so bad. As we made the walk back to the Pokemon Center, I was starting to get colder and colder. I was shivering now, my teeth were chattering. Not only that, but I was starting to feel sick to my stomach. The rain was starting to painfully pound against my skin.

"Guys...I don't feel so great..." I spoke up as my head started to throb, very painfully.

Silver just sighed in annoyance as Gold spun around to look at me. His face went as white as a ghost. "Tigerlily...? Are you ok?!" He worriedly asked, rushing over to me.

This caught Silver's attention, he spun around to face the two of us, his eyes widened in shock. He almost looked a little...worried. What? Do I look that bad...? Before I could even answer Gold's question, my legs gave out. I fell into Gold's arms, feeling my conciousness slip away. And then, I blacked out.

* * *

"Her body temperature got all the way down to 95, the beginning stage of hypothermia."

"Arceus...is she going to be ok?"

"Yes, she'll make a full recovery. Thankfully, you managed to carry her over here just in time. If you had been even a moment later, well..."

"I don't even want to think about that..."

"Yes, you're right. Anyways, are you sure she was just out in the rain? That's...impossible... I mean, she was dressed very lightly, but I don't see how her body temperature could've dropped so low and so fast..."

My eyelids fluttered open as I woke up to the sound of the two voices having a conversation with each other. I quickly looked around at my surroundings. I was in a hospital room, laying down on a bed, with an IV in my arm. What the hell happened? I noticed two people in the corner of my room talking with each other, Gold and Nurse Joy. I just groaned and clutched my head, starting to sit up a little bit.

Gold noticed that I had woken up and rushed over to me, Nurse Joy had dismissed herself. "Hey, you're up! You ok, Tigerlily?" Gold worriedly asked me, pulling up a chair to my bedside.

"I feel like shit...what happened?" I winced at my splitting headache.

Gold just looked down sadly. "I-I...don't know... I mean...one moment you were fine, then...then the next you...you were as white as a ghost... And then... You just fainted in my arms. You were icy cold to the touch. I quickly picked you up and rushed you over here to the Pokemon Center. Silver's out in the waiting room, practically worrying himself to death." Gold explained.

Silver's worried? I knew he liked me! HAH! Stupid jerkface, I knew he couldn't be annoyed by me forever! I slowly nodded my head in understanding. "That's the second time you've done that, y'know." I smiled weakly.

Gold just shot me a confused/concerned look. "Second time I've done what?" He asked.

"That's the second time you've saved me." I explained, smiling up at him.

He just shot me a sad smile as I sat up. "I'll always be there to save you, Tigerlily."

I hugged him as I layed my head down in the crook of his neck. "Thanks, Gold."

"Anytime."

* * *

**I told you it could go either way! TigerlilyxGold or TigerlilyxSilver. My friend even came up with fandom names because she was that obsessed...hah...anyways, they're GoldLily and SilverLily. I think it's pretty self explanatory which one is which... This is probably my most violent and morbid book out of them all, which is probably why it's not really all that popular on here. And yet somehow it's my MOST POPULAR book on wattpad...weird. At least it has romance to make up for it.**

**Well, read, review, and enjoy! **


	5. Chapter 4: Nightmares

**(Tigerlily's POV)**

**~Dream Sequence~**

_I was in a dark room. No, scratch that, a cell. An old, musty, dark cell. I was all alone, locked in the dreaded cage._ _What is this place?_ _Why am I here?_

_"AAAAAAAIIIIIIIIIYYYYYYYYYEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!" Someone screamed loudly in pain._

_My eyes just went wide in complete and utter horror at the sound of the gut-wrenching scream._ _It sounded like it was coming from a room next door to the cell's room. What the HELL is going on?_ _Everything fell quiet._ _I was scared, I felt a lump in my throat. Scratch that, I'm completely terrified._ _The door to the cell's room opened, and a trail of light came in, followed by a person. The person shut the door behind them and walked over to the cell I was in. It was too dark to see anything besides the silhouette of the person, but there's one distinct thing I saw._ _A burning red "R"_ _Was it a logo? Possibly..._ _All I know is, that "logo" creates an irrational fear inside of me. I felt the blood drain from my face as the person wearing the "R" got closer. I'm not scared of the person necessarily, just the "R." But why? That burning red "R" was piercing my soul, creating an intense fear within me._

_**Ker-Chunk**_

_The cell door opened, and the person stepped inside. I felt my body start to tremble with fear as the person forcibly grabbed my arm and yanked me up off the ground. I winced at the rough grip they had on my arm as they dragged me out of the cell._

_"You're being moved to the primary holding cell, it's in the laboratory." The person said as they opened the door._

_We stepped out of the cell room and into a dimly lit hallway, at the end of it was a door. I could feel nothing but evil and dread seeping out from under the crack of the door. What awaited for me behind it?_ _The person dragged me all the way down the nightmarish hallway, and shoved me inside the room behind the door._ _In front of me were 8 scientists around a steel table with clipboards. On my right was a larger holding cell, filled with children. They all looked terrified, ranging from the ages of 6-17 of both genders. Some of them looked sickly, as if they had just seen something that made them want to puke. I smelled a strong and sickening chemical in the air, what was it?_

_Bleach._ _I just gulped and looked down at the floor. I saw blood spatter and a trail of blood leading to the left of me. Hesitantly, my eyes followed the trail._ _I gasped and went wide-eyed at the sight._ _A large pile of children's bloody and bruised corpses. Little girls and boys, kids my age..._ _All dead._ _I screamed._

* * *

**~End of Dream Sequence~**

I gasped and shot straight up in my bed, clutching my heart as I breathed heavily. I felt hot tears rolling down my cheeks as I tried to regain my composure. I was back in our shared room in the Pokemon Center. It was probably like 2am and the guys were both still asleep (to my knowledge) Swallowing the lump in my throat, I climbed down the ladder of my bunk bed and walked over to the bathroom, closing the door quietly before I turned on the light. I quickly changed into my usual yellow and white high-waisted outfit (the top half is yellow and the bottom half is white) and I slipped my white flats on. Before I exited the bathroom, I caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror. I saw a 17-year-old orange haired girl, with sparkling amber red eyes. I was about 5'2 and I had a pale complexion. I could still see the tear tracks on my cheeks from when I was crying in my sleep.

So...that's what I look like, I suppose... I guess this is sort of the first time I've really seen myself since the whole "amnesia" thing. I turned off the light and quietly stepped out of the bathroom, making my way towards the bedroom door. I quietly exited the room and made my way towards the back of the Pokemon Center's second floor, finding myself at the balcony. I walked up to the edge and folded my arms atop of the railing, leaning forwards a bit as I looked at the view of the sleeping Violet City. All the houses and buildings lights were off, and the street lights were dimly lit. The moon glowed and lit up the cobblestone roads as Noctowls cried into the open sky. It gave off an illuminating, serene glow.

As I was looking up at the stars, someone came up from behind me, making me jump a little bit. "Oh...sorry! I didn't mean to startle you." Gold admitted sheepishly as he walked up next to me.

"It's fine." I sighed.

He just looked at me worriedly. "Tigerlily, what're you doing up? It's 1am." He asked.

So that's what time it was. "Couldn't sleep." I answered dryly.

He seemed to think about my reply for a moment. "Maybe you should try and get back to bed. We have a long day ahead of us tomorrow, Silver and I want to challenge the Gym. If you want to, you can as well." Gold informed me.

I flinched at the mentioning of going back to sleep. "I...I-I can't..." I sighed in defeat, remembering the nightmares.

Gold just shot me a concerned look, placing a hand on my back comfortingly. "And why is that?" He asked.

I shut my eyes tight and a tear rolled down my cheek. "If I do, the nightmares will come back... I can't even shut my eyes without seeing the traumatizing images..." I admitted sadly, snapping my eyes back open.

Gold just shot me a sad smile. "Tigerlily..." He sighed. "They're only nightmares, there's nothing to be afraid of. Just remember, they're not real."

I shook my head "no" in disagreement. "No, these are different. They feel real. As if they were...a memory." I said.

"Hmm..." Gold mused. He wrapped an arm around my waist and pulled me into a comforting embrace. "Well, I'm afraid there's nothing I can do about that." He sadly admitted.

I sighed, hugging him back. "I know..."

"But." Gold started. I looked up at him curiously, tilting my head to the side. "I can always be here for you when you wake up." He smiled.

I smiled back, feeling a little better. I pressed my head against his chest and hugged him tighter as he placed his head atop of mine. We stood there for awhile until I fell asleep. I faintly remember someone picking me up and carrying me back to the room. They placed me in my bed and before I was fully knocked out, I heard:

"Sweet dreams, Tigerlily."

* * *

**Short fluff chapter! The adventure will pick back up in the next one, I promise! So Tigerlily is having nightmares, but for those of you who read the prologue, you know that's not the case. She's starting to remember a few things here and there. What happens in the next chapter? Will she remember more? Will she realize they're not nightmares, but memories? Read and find out!**

**Read, review, and enjoy!**


	6. Chapter 5: The First Badge

**(Tigerlily's POV)**

The Zephyr Badge. I looked down in my hands, running my thumb across the silver, hexagon shaped gym badge.

My first badge...wow. I stepped outside the Gym with Cyndaquil on my shoulder, immediately greeted by a refreshing autumn breeze. The leaves were being blown around, so very peaceful...

"TIGERLILY!"

Eh?

**WHAM!**

**CRASH!**

"Ow...Wha...GOLD?!" I just looked up at my friend accusingly as he helped me up off the ground. I noticed Silver was a ways behind him, looking very pissed off. So, pretty much looking normal.

"We were so worried about you!" Gold said as he tightly wrapped his arms around my neck.

We? As I was being choked to death, I glanced over at Silver. His red eyes met mine for a brief moment. Frustrated, he pivoted on his heel and started to walk away in a huff, heading in the direction of a large tower. "Silver? Where are you going?" I asked, managing to push Gold to the ground. What? The idiot was choking me! The red-head just ignored me and kept walking to Sprout Tower. What did I do...?

"Hey! Tigerlily, did you get your first badge!?" Gold asked. As he stood up, he must've noticed the Zephyr Badge I was holding.

"Uh...yeah..." I timidly responded, my mind was elsewhere.

"So that's where you were this morning. When we woke up, you were gone."

I looked down at the ground, shamefully. "I couldn't go back to sleep...so...so I trained all morning, and then I challenged Falkner..." I replied.

Gold just stood there silent for a moment, something he rarely does. "Well, I'm going to go challenge the Gym. Why don't you go try to find Silver? You seem to be the only one who can talk some sense into him." Gold suggested, walking past me and over to the Gym's front doors.

"Umm...ok!" I cheerfully replied.

**CRASH!**

"Y'know Gold, that would've been a pretty cool dramatic exit if you didn't end up crashing into the doors in the end..." I sweatdropped.

"I'm ok!"

* * *

Sprout Tower. I looked up at the colossal building that towered over me by at least 50 feet...wow. Feeling a little nervous, I picked up Cyndaquil in my arms and hugged him close to me.

_"Relax, Tigerlily. It's just a Tower with a bunch of Monks in it."_ Cyndaquil reassured me.

"That's not what I'm nervous about..." I replied, stepping into the tower.

It had brown hard wood floors, purple walls, and a giant wooden pillar in the center of the tower. There were two Monks in the back, dressed in purple robes, guarding a ladder that led to the second floor, I presume. Nervously, I approached the two. Before I could even say anything, they parted ways and ushered me up the ladder, granting me access. I kept going from floor to floor, walking sort of in a spiral, climbing up ladder after ladder. After about 10 minutes of navigating my way through this confusing place, I found myself at the top of tower.

"You showed us what you've got, and it is indeed good..." The Elder said. I looked up to see Silver standing in front of the Elder. It looks like they just got done with a Pokemon battle, and Silver coming out victorious in the end.

"But?" Silver asked, impatiently.

The Elder just sighed. "Take this TM." He handed Silver a Technical Machine. "However, you should care more about your Pokemon. The way you treat your Pokemon can be too harsh...Remember, Pokemon are not tools of war..." The Elder informed Silver, hoping that he would listen to his advice.

Instead, Silver just turned to the side in a huff, mumbling things to himself. Since I was near him, I heard everything that he was saying. "Humph! He calls himself the Elder, but he was no match for me. Sure enough, those who lecture how you should be "nice" to Pokemon...They cannot defeat me. All I care about are strong Pokemon that win every time. The rest of them don't mean anything to me-"

**SLAP!**

Silver just clutched the cheek that I left a red hand print on and stared at me, majorly astonished at what I just did. I glared a thousand daggers at him. "That, is NO WAY to think." I hissed, venom was practically dripping from my mouth. "That is not ok, that is not an acceptable way to think or behave in this world. Pokemon are our equals, and you need to wake up and see that." I narrowed my eyes at him. Oddly, I took the comments about Pokemon personally.

Silver's eyes just widened in shock. For once, he wasn't angry, just...shocked. I was about to say something else, but I started to get a major headache. I fell to my knees, clutching my head. I saw a flashing light before my eyes, it flashed twice before all I could see was darkness. All of a sudden, I was completely tuned out from my surroundings, as if I was in a completely different world.

* * *

**~Illusion Sequence~**

_A white line split the darkness in half horizontally, engulfing everything in a blinding white light, including me. It covered the former dark void in a bright flash of light that blowed backwards towards me, blowing my hair back from the strong wind. I placed my arms protectively in front of my face as the wind ran through me. __The light died down and the wind stopped. __I found myself on a cliff somewhere, I have no idea where I am. I heard two voices up ahead, which thoroughly startled me. Hesitantly, I walked further up the cliff, and saw two people at the edge. __There was a little red-haired boy sitting down, watching the sunset. The other person was a man in an all-brown suit, standing up as he spoke to the little boy._

_"My Son, you must always think that way, no matter the circumstance." The man said._

_The little boy sighed and looked up at the older man. "But father, what if I don't want to think that way? What if I want Pokemon to be my friends, and not my personal slaves?" He asked._

_The man seemed furious at this question. In one swift movement, he picked up the boy by his shirt collar and stared at him harshly. "I'm not giving you that choice." He raisied his fist up in a striking position, causing me to gasp and slap my hands over my mouth._

_The angle the boy was at, I could see his face. __Amber red eyes. __The flashing white light and wind came back, erasing my surroundings and sending me back to the dark void. __What is this place...?_

_"Tigerlily! Tigerlily! Please, please wake up!"_

_What?_

* * *

**~End of Illusion Sequence~**

"Please wake up...please..."

My eyes fluttered open and the first thing I saw was amber red eyes, staring straight into mine. I was laying down on the ground of Sprout Tower, with Silver looking over me, trying to wake me up. I couldn't stop staring into his eyes. What the hell was that? A flashback...? All of a sudden, when I looked at Silver, I saw that same little boy. I gasped and shot straight up, startling both Silver and the Elder.

"Are you ok? What the hell was that?" Silver questioned me, clearly frustrated. Although, the frustration was obviously acting as a cover up, he was worried.

"I...I don't know..." I lied.

* * *

As soon as we stepped outside Sprout Tower, Silver grabbed me and dragged me to the side of the Tower, completely out of sight. "I don't buy that for one second." He sneered.

I just looked at him innocently. "What are you talking abou..."

He pressed his arm across my chest and pinned me up against the wall of the Tower. "Stop lying to me."

I whimpered slightly at the pain he was causing me, making him release me. He shamefully looked down at the ground, stuffing his hands into his pockets. For a moment there, I saw that same little boy standing in front of me. "You were lied to, abused, and manipulated as a child...weren't you?" I asked inquisitively, tilting my head to the side.

Silver's eyes widened in shock as he snapped his gaze back up to me. "How did you..."

"I can just tell." I quickly cut him off. Oh yeah and also I magically saw into your past and witnessed your father poisoning your mind. Yeah...probably shouldn't say that... Silver quickly turned around, trying to walk away from me, but I wasn't about to let that happen. I grabbed his hand and spun him back around to face me. I hugged the shocked Silver around the neck tightly as he awkwardly returned it, wrapping his arms around my waist in a clearly uncomfortable way. "Don't let the past affect your present decisions. Don't let it affect your opinions, your actions, or who you are. No matter what you go through, you have to stay strong so you remain...you. The past isn't a factor in the things that define us. The things that define us are only defined by one thing, ourselves." I said, breaking away and looking up at him.

"What if who I am is the person I am now." Silver asked, being completely serious.

I just smirked. "I don't buy that for one second."

For the first time, Silver laughed. I just smiled and started to drag him back towards Violet City. "Tigerlily...where are we going?" Silver protested, trying to get me to stop dragging him around.

I just laughed. "Didn't you say you wanted to challenge the Gym?"

"Oh yeah..." Silver mused. "But you can't be there when I challenge Falkner." He said dryly.

My jaw just dropped, I abruptly spun around and just stared at Silver, who laughed at my expression. "Why noooooooooot?" I whined like a 2-year-old.

"Because you annoy me." He glared at me.

"OH COME ON! I'M NOT THAT BAD!"

"Yes, you really are."

"No I'm not!"

"Are too."

"Am not!"

"Are too."

"C'mon, I'll be your cheerleader! Go team Silvy!"

"Hell no, and don't call me that."

"Why not, Silvy?"

"Stop it."

"What's the matter Silvy, am I annoying you?"

"Yes, and I said stop it."

"I'll stop if you let me be your cheerleader and let me watch your battle!"

"No."

"Fine! Have it your way, Silvy."

"You're just gonna keep doing this until I say yes, aren't you...?"

"Wow Silvy, figure that one out all by yourself?"

"I'm just gonna keep saying no."

"Aww...why not?!"

"Because if I let you, you're gonna overdo it."

"What?! No I'm not!"

"Are too."

"Am not!"

* * *

**(Silver's POV)**

"Totodile, use Bite on Pidgeotto. Finish him off." I commanded.

"Pidgeotto! Quick, use Roost!"

Before Pidgeotto could even begin to heal himself, Totodile charged at him and tackled him to the ground, sinking his teeth into the bird Pokemon. Pidgeotto twitched, then went still.

"The match goes to challenger Silver!" The referee announced.

"YYYYEEEEEEEEESSSSSSS! GOOOOOO SILVERRRRRRRR!" Tigerlily cheered and screamed from the bleachers, jumping up and down.

I just groaned and facepalmed. Where the hell did that idiot girl even get a cheerleaders uniform and pom-poms...? I just looked over at the orange haired weirdo and the ever annoying Gold in the bleachers. Gold was calmly sitting down and applauding my victory. Tigerlily, was jumping up and down while cheering. I knew she was gonna overdo it...

* * *

**For once, I actually have nothing to say. Yep...awkward...uh...enjoy the chapter?**

**Read, review, and enjoy!**


	7. Chapter 6: Nothing is Ever Forgotten

**(Tigerlily's POV)**

"You're an idiot." Silver glared at me.

I just whimpered and made a pouty face. "Aww, but I was just trying to be helpful!" I argued, hugging Silver, despite his protesting.

"Get off."

"No!"

"I said, get off."

"Someone's grumpy...want me to get out my pom-poms again?"

"HELL NO!"

**RING RING!**

While Silver and I were still bickering, Gold picked up his Pokegear. "Hello?"

_"Oh, Gold! Could you put Tigerlily on the Pokegear for me, please?" _Professor Elm asked.

Well, this caught my attention. Gold handed me his Pokegear as he and Silver just listened to our conversation. I just tilted my head to the side and cocked a brow. "Umm...Hi Professor?"

_"Tigerlily! I need to talk to you about something!"_ Professor Elm said excitedly.

Just get to the point already... "Ok...?" I said hesitantly.

_"The details are...well, I can't really say anything, but we want you to carry that Egg!"_ He informed me.

I just shot the boys a confused look, then looked back at Gold's Pokegear. "WAIT WHAT?!" I shrieked, causing the guys to wince and cover their ears.

_"My assistant is at the Poke Mart in Violet City. Could you go meet him and pick up that Egg?" _Professor Elm asked.

I was at a loss for words. "I...uh...well, umm..."

**Click!**

He hung up on me! "Well...looks like I don't really have a choice..." I muttered, handing Gold his Pokegear back. "I'll be right back, guys!" I smiled and waved, taking off for the Poke Mart next door to the Gym.

"Wait! Tigerlily!" They both called out.

I pushed open the doors of the Poke Mart, and upon entering, a guy ran up to me. He had short black hair and was dressed in a white lab coat. "Long time no see, Tigerlily. I've been waiting for you. This is from Professor Elm. The thing is...we would like you to take care of an Egg!" He said as he handed me an all-orange Egg.

I wrapped it in my arms, looking it over. I felt warmth omitting from it. "Uh...sure?" I replied, giving him a shoulder shrug.

"After you left, Professor Elm received a phone call." The assistant started off, capturing my attention. "I have no idea what they were talking about, but after a while, Professor Elm suddenly cried out, 'I can't think of anyone more suited for that than Tigerlily!' Then he insisted that I hand this Egg to you. That's how I came here to deliver this Egg to you." He explained.

I nodded my head in understanding. But...why me? The Professor only just met me for a brief moment...and almost instantly made me one of his Dex Holders, I have Gold to thank for that. Gold...why didn't he give the Egg to him? Not that I'm complaining! Just...everyone seems to have welcomed me in to their 'family' so quickly, it's just overwhelming how much everyone trusts me...

"It seems that a Pokemon will hatch from it only when you keep it in your party of Pokemon." The assistant informed me. "That's another reason we've chosen you, Tigerlily. please take care of it!" And with that, he left.

I just shrugged my shoulders and exited the Poke Mart, only to be greeted by someone gasping. I looked in front of me to see a beautiful Kimono Girl slapping her hand over her mouth, looking at me wide-eyed. I just shot her a confused look as she approached me. "Y-You're...you're ok! Thank goodness!" She said cheerfully, hugging me tightly.

I just broke away and looked at her weird. "I'm sorry...do I know you?"

She looked a little hurt at my question. "You don't remember me...Tigerlily?" She asked.

I gasped. "Wait...you know me?!" I questioned her.

Now it was her turn to shoot me a weird look. "Of course I do, you're...wait...oh." She stopped mid sentence, coming to a realization. "You have amnesia...don't you?" She asked.

I just sighed. "As far as I can tell, yes." I replied sadly.

"TIGERLILY!" Gold and Silver both shouted as they waved, starting to walk over to me.

The Kimono Girl seemed startled by my friends and quickly dismissed herself. Before she left, she said, "That Egg..." She pointed to the orange Egg I was holding. "I see... So it was handed from Mr. Pokemon to Professor Elm, to you. Now I get it... That Egg is truly an important Egg. Please do take good care of it for me. Is that understood?" She asked.

Gold and Silver were getting closer now. "Uh...yes!" I quickly replied.

"I am counting on you, Tigerlily." And with that, she was gone.

"There you are!" Gold called out, finally catching up to me.

I turned to face the two boys. "Tigerlily, who was that you were talking to?" Silver asked, referring to the Kimono Girl from a moment ago.

I just stood there and blinked like an idiot. "I honestly don't know..."

* * *

"So, all you have to do is keep it warm and a Pokemon will hatch from it!" Gold explained, pointing to the Egg I was cuddling.

The three of us were traveling on Route 32 when we all stopped to take a break for a bit. Gold and I were sitting up against a tree next to each other, Cyndaquil was sleeping on top of my head, Chikorita was trying to be sneaky and steal Gold's hat, Silver was having a glare contest with his new Gastly, and Gold's new Mareep was napping in between the two of us.

I looked down at the Egg in my arms. "I can't wait to see who's gonna hatch from this!" I squealed, very excited.

Gold just laughed. "So, who do you have your money on?" He asked, turning his attention to Silver and Gastly who were a ways in front of us (still having a staring contest)

"Definitely Gastly." I snickered.

"I think you underestimate how thick headed and stubborn Silver really is." Gold whispered to me.

I just laughed as Silver grumbled. "I heard that."

"Hmm. Maybe you're right, Gold." This gained his attention. "That idiot is way too stubborn to back down from a challenge, and I don't think his ego could handle losing to a Pokemon, since Gastly clearly has him beat."

As we both just laughed our asses off, Silver spoke up. "What would a weak Trainer like yourself even know about Pokemon in the first place." He retorted.

My eye just twitched as my rage started to boil. "I'm not a weak Trainer." I sassed back. I know more about Pokemon than that egotistical jerk would ever understand...

"Of course you're not." He said sarcastically. "You're not nearly as good as me, however. I'm going to be the best Pokemon Trainer in the world." He sneered at me. At this point, he got up and walked over to me.

After slipping my Egg into Gold's backpack and picking up Cyndaquil in my arms, I got up and glared back at Silver, our faces were only a few inches apart. "Hate to break it to you, but you're going to have some serious competition with that." I sneered, referring to both me and Gold.

"You? Competition? Please, you're no competition for me." He said arrogantly.

"Aww, how cute, you have a crush on yourself!" I said sarcastically. "I hate to break it to you...but, the guy you're in love with is a total douche." I said with a completely straight face. BURN. And with that, I made my dramatic exit, listening to the sweet sound of Silver's jaw crashing to the floor and Gold uncontrollably laughing. Take that, jerk.

* * *

**(Gold's POV)**

I just snickered. "Tigerlily - 1, Silver - 0."

"Shut it." Silver snapped, regaining his composure as I watched Tigerlily storm off further down Route 32.

I just sighed. "What was all that about, anyways? I thought you two were _finally_ starting to get along..." I asked. Silver just looked away, unresponsive. Well, that's an interesting reaction. I got up from where I was sitting and walked over to my best friend. He won't admit it, but we're best friends, despite how much I annoy him. "Why did you feel the need to sabotage things?" I asked, standing next to him.

He flinched. "How did you..."

"Please, Silver. As annoying as I am, that doesn't mean I don't pick up on things." I smirked. "Let me guess...you panicked because someone other than me actually wants to get close to you and be friends with you." I smiled knowingly. Silver remained quiet, confirming my guess. "Well, we better go find her, shall we?" I asked him. He reluctantly agreed as we returned all our Pokemon to our Pokeballs (except for Chikorita and Totodile) Now...where did she go?.

As we walked further down Route 32, battling a few Trainers along the way (which resulted in both of our starters evolving) we noticed there was a fork in the road. "I'll take left, you keep going straight." Silver suggested.

I nodded my head as we parted ways. Silver went left, down a flight of stairs and over to a bridge over top a stream. I kept going straight, following the grassy path. I passed by a Pokemon Center and stopped in front of the entrance to Union Cave, standing underneath a tree. What I didn't notice was that Silver had caught up and was standing back over by the Pokemon Center, out of sight. What? That doesn't make sense...where's Tigerlily? She didn't go ahead...did she? All of a sudden, I felt my hat swiped off the top of my head. I spun around, accusingly looking for the culprit, but found no one. Huh?

* * *

**(Tigerlily's POV)**

As I hung upside down from the tree branch above Gold, I had to press his hat over my face to muffle my laughter. He just kept spinning around in confusion, trying to find his hat. Finally, I couldn't hold it in much longer, I busted out laughing.

Gold was startled at first, but then looked up and started to laugh too. "Found you...and my hat!" He smirked.

I put his hat on top of my head and stuck my tongue out teasingly. "Come and get it."

He just smirked and did a shoulder shrug. "Alrighty then."

I went wide-eyed. "Wait! I didn't mean that way...AHHHHHH!" I shrieked as Gold pulled me out of the tree.

**WHAM!**

"You're an idiot..."

"At least I broke your fall!"

I opened my eyes to see that my face was only centimeters apart from Gold's, I was on top of him with my hands on his chest. I just blushed at the closeness as he laughed and sat up.

"Y'know, I think my hat suits you." He smiled, admiring his black and gold cap I was currently sporting.

I smirked back, recovering from my embarrassment as I started posing like a superhero. "Why, thank you! I can pull it off, on the other hand, it just makes you look like a major dork." I snickered.

Gold just dropped his jaw, but then melted into laugher. I took his hat off and put it back on him.

"Ahem." Silver cleared his throat. How long has he been standing there?

Gold stood up and pulled me to my feet. "I found her." He stated the obvious.

"No shit." Silver said dryly, pushing past us and going into Union Cave.

What's his problem? I'm still pissed off about him being so rude earlier. Who does he think he is? You can't just talk to someone like that...it's mean. Humph.

"C'mon, we better go follow him." Gold said as he wrapped an arm around me, guiding me over to the cave entrance.

It was a cold, dark, and damp cave. Yeah...not really an appealing place to be. It was pretty simple to navigate through, although. We literally just walked around a small pond, battled a couple of hikers, and found ourselves at the exit. We could've explored deeper, but I think we'd need a water Pokemon that could carry us across the water in order to do that. We didn't find Silver in the cave, fine by me. Gold thinks that he went ahead to Azalea Town. As we stepped out, I noticed it was raining. Fuck. Gold went ahead to look for Silver, meanwhile, I stayed behind and was rubbing my arms trying to stay warm. Azalea Town was right around the corner, so it's not like he just rudely abandoned me. Plus, I don't think he even noticed that I wasn't following him. I made my way down the path...in the rain...and returned Quilava to his Pokeball (I evolved him from Cyndaquil earlier) I was about to go into Azalea Town, but something else caught my eye. A well.

* * *

**(Normal POV)**

**~Back in the Pokemon Center~**

"And then I went to go find you!" Gold explained to Silver.

Silver just facepalmed, earning a concerned look from Gold.

"Did I do something wrong...?" He asked.

"Yeah, where's Orange head?" Silver shot him a glare.

Gold looked around him, just now noticing Tigerlily wasn't there. "Crap..."

"You lost her, didn't you...?"

"I thought she was following!"

"It's raining, remember what happened last time?"

...

**~Awkward Silence~**

...

"Hey...where are you going?"

"Where do you think? To find her."

And then the concerned boy ran out of the Pokemon Center in search of Tigerlily, leaving the other back in the Pokemon Center, who was just as concerned. As the boy left, beginning his search for his friend, he thought to himself, _"Please be ok..."_

* * *

**(Tigerlily's POV)**

I pivoted on my heel and approached the well, noticing there was a ladder leading down into the dark void. I could've sworn I heard voices coming from down there. Is there maybe someone trapped down there? I leaned too far over the edge and lost my footing, finding myself falling down the well. "AHHHHHHHHHHH!"

**SLAM!**

I moaned and winced, clutching my head. Great. I'm soaking wet, trapped in a dark well, and I probably just gave myself a concussion...

**BLEGH!**

Never mind...change the "probably" to a "definitely" have a concussion... The queasiness in my stomach died down a bit, and I sat up. I released Quilava and had him illuminate the area around us a little bit with the fire on his back. That warmed me up a little bit, it stopped most of my shivering. Taking a look around, I noticed an archway, leading deeper into the cave/well/whatever the fuck you want to call this place. I staggered, attempting to stand up. Using the cave walls for support, I made my way to the archway. This time, I DEFINITELY heard voices. I peered around the edge of the door, and immediately jerked my head back, regretting what I just saw.

**BLEGH!**

And there goes the rest of my lunch... I saw a bunch of people in black uniforms...slicing off...SlowpokeTails... They were literally butchering the poor Pokemon, probably going to sell them for parts. I had to cover my mouth so I wouldn't puke for a third time now. The smell of blood and chemicals were overwhelming, sending chills down my spine. I had to do something. I stepped through the archway, about to confront these guys, when I noticed the logo on their uniforms. A burning...bloody red..."R" I felt fear wash over me, remembering those nightmares. These are the people who have been haunting me in my sleep...? One of the Grunts noticed me standing here, and sounded the alarm. "INTRUDER! BE ON YOUR GUARD AND CHASE HER OUT!" He called out to the others. Everyone started to scurry about, taking their positions.

Reluctantly, Quilava and I started to walk deeper into the cavern, coming face to face with a guy Grunt. "Who are you people?" I asked, trying to make my voice not shake with fear.

The Grunt just scoffed. "We're Team Rocket!" I flinched at the name, it struck a chord with me. "Get out of here, twerp!" He yelled at me, sending out an under-leveled Rattata to attack me.

Quilava protectively stepped in front of me, hitting the rat-Pokemon with a Flame Wheel attack, knocking it out instantly. Well, that was easy...

"Not so fast!" The Grunt said as he released...another under-leveled Rattata?

I just groaned. "Quilava, scorch his ass." I ordered the Flame Wheel attack, Quilava used Flame Wheel on the Rattata, sending him flying into a wall and knocking him out. Suddenly, I don't feel all that intimidated by these guys anymore... The Grunt clicked his tounge in annoyance, returning his fallen Pokemon

"Are you people seriously butchering these poor Pokemon? Why?!" I demanded.

The Grunt just laughed. "Sure, we've been hacking the tails off of Slowpoke and selling them, Team Rocket will do anything for money!"

I just snarled at him and pushed him out of the way, only to find a female Grunt up ahead this time. "Stop torturing these Pokemon!" I screeched at her.

She just psychotically laughed at me, grabbing a Pokeball off her belt. "Stop taking SlowpokeTails? What?! You want us to disobey a direct order from Executive Proton? If you want to stop us, you'll have to defeat us all! Go ahead and try!" She sneered at me, sending out a Zubat. Challenge accepted.

"Leech Life!"

"Flame Wheel!"

Zubat fainted. I just sweatdropped...how under-leveled are these Pokemon...?

"Tch...all right, go Ekans!"

The purple snake Pokemon didn't even wait for an order, he just lunged at Quilava with his fangs bared. I thought to myself _"Shoot...dodge it and hit him with something!"_ since I didn't have enough time to order the command out loud. As if he heard me, Quilava side-stepped, dodged the Poison Fang attack, and threw a wheel of fire into the snake Pokemon, sending its scorched body flying. My jaw just dropped.

Taking a shot in the dark...I thought to myself: _"Quilava...did you just hear me...mentally?"_

_"So I'm not crazy and I DID hear that..."_ He replied via telepathy. Holy shit.

"Tch...goddammit." The Grunt grumbled as she returned Ekans to his Pokeball. "You rotten brat!" She snarled.

I brushed her off and walked down a small set of stairs carved out of rock, finding myself at the final platform. There were two guys standing here. There was a guy Grunt approaching me, and a guy with blue hair towards the back, his uniform was a little different than the others I've seen. Quilava stepped in front of me, getting ready to battle the Grunt as the blue haired guy just watched, clearly intrigued to see what my next move was. _"Ok, buddy...ready to try this out?"_ I thought mentally.

_"Yes!"_ He replied, also mentally.

"I'm here to stop you from taking SlowpokeTails!" I shouted at the Grunt.

"Quit taking SlowpokeTails? If we listened to you, Team Rocket's rep would be ruined!" He retorted, sending out a Rattata. "QUICK ATTACK!"

_"Dodge and use Flame Wheel." _I gave the silent order. Quilava moved out of the way and countered the attack with a Flame Wheel, listening to the thought command.

"What the hell...?" The Grunt mumbled in astonishment. Dude, believe me, I'm thinking the same thing... He released his second Pokemon, a Zubat.

_"Don't give him a chance to attack, Tackle him out of the sky and use Flame Wheel."_

"USE LEECH LI...what the hell..?" Quilava obeyed my command and tackled Zubat out of the sky, unleashing a powerful Flame Wheel attack on the bat Pokemon, making him faint instantly. The Grunt just shot me a confused look as he sent out his third and final Pokemon, another Zubat.

_"Y'know what, this time, do whatever the hell you want." _Quilava smirked, not even letting the Grunt give his order. He back flipped into the air, and fired a Flame Wheel at the Pokemon, landing a critical hit. The Grunt just gaped at me as I pushed by him, walking over to the blue haired man, the last Team Rocket person I haven't fought yet. I think this would be that Executive Proton guy that those Grunts mentioned earlier.

"What do we have here? I am often labeled as the scariest and cruelest guy in Team Rocket..." Proton started to say. I interrupted his speech with a laugh, looking up at him. I pushed my wet hair out of my face so he could look into my eyes. In return, his eyes just widened in shock. "You..." He mumbled, completely taken aback.

"You know me?" I asked, confused.

"Y-You could say that..." He stuttered, fumbling around on his belt in search of a Pokeball. He found one, and released a Zubat. "Poison Sting!"

_"Dodge it!"_

Too late, Quilava took the hit, poisoning him. I winced at his pain. _"Quick, knock him out with a Flame Wheel."_

"Leech Li..." Proton didn't even get to finish his command as a barbecued Zubat whipped by his face, slamming into the cave wall. Proton just sweatdropped. I smirked devilishly, knowing fully well that I was stronger than all of these idiots here. Proton regained his confidence, and released a Koffing with an egotistical smirk. "It doesn't matter where we go, there's always someone who doesn't agree with us..."

"Can't imagine why." I retorted sarcastically.

Proton just laughed in amusement. "Use Poison Gas!"

_"Finish it."_

Koffing's attack did hit Quilava, but that only triggered his ability, Blaze. With his now powered up fire type attack, Quilava unleashed the largest and hottest Flame Wheel I've ever seen him do. The attack landed a critical hit on Koffing, making him faint instantaneously. "Grr...For you to be this tough, this isn't good..." Proton grumbled. "Team Rocket was indeed broken up three years ago. But we continued our activities underground. A small obstacle like you won't be much of a problem for a mission...especially since you don't remember anything, isn't that correct?" He smirked at me.

I just did a double take. "How did you..."

"That is something you'll have to figure out on your own." He slowly approached me, tilting my chin up with his hand to look at me. "Don't think that we won't be back for you, there won't be another moment where you are safe from us..." And that's when I knee'd him...need I say where? Proton doubled over in pain as a couple Grunts ran up to him, helping him up. "I advise you to be very afraid of what's to come!" He warned me in a pained voice.

And with that, they all left. The Adrenaline that I was lasting off of decided that now was a convenient time to wear off, letting me feel the pain and exhaustion that was erupting all over my body. I collapsed to the floor, dragging my hands across the wall in attempt to break my fall, which didn't work. I was facing back so I could see the front of the cave. As my eyes started to close, feeling my consciousness slip away from me, I saw the bottom half of someone running over to me. And that's when I let the cold take over, giving up the fight for survival.

* * *

**CLIFFHANGER! Which of the boys do you think went to save her?**

***dodges a flying chair***

**Don't kill me! Please!**

***dodges a flying train***

**OH COME ON! HOW DOES THAT EVEN WORK?!**

**Read, review, and enjoy!**


	8. Chapter 7: Saving You

**(Tigerlily's POV)**

**~Dream Sequence~**

_I was standing on a cliff, watching the sun set over the ocean horizon. I smiled at the serenity of this moment. There was a cool autumn breeze that carried the golden leaves around, adding to the peaceful feeling. __All of a sudden, something caught my eye. __I saw a black silhouette of a massive bird Pokemon flying over top of the sun. It was getting closer. __As the bird got closer, a black shadow started to show itself on the surface of the water. __The two silhouette's just got closer and closer to each other, moving at an incredible speed. They were too far off in the distance, so I couldn't see too much detail, but I managed to make out some of what I was seeing. __A large, white bird-like Pokemon shot out of the water, shooting an Aeroblast attack at the other bird Pokemon. The other bird Pokemon, one of red and gold, returned fire with a rainbow ball of fire. The attacks collided, creating a massive explosion. __I fell to my feet, clutching the ground in attempt to keep me from falling off, otherwise I would take a 100 foot nose dive into the ocean. __The white Pokemon shot a Hydro Pump this time, only to be countered by a large Psybeam. Again, the attacks collided and exploded, creating massive tremors. __Attack, after attack, after attack. __The ground was being ripped apart, split into two. I had to quickly scramble to one half of the cliff to avoid falling to my death. __Trees were being knocked down, dark and stormy clouds swirled overhead, lightning was striking everywhere, sparks were flying and fire was spreading. __The two Pokemon kept firing attacks at each other, clearly being the cause of this chaos. __Another earthquake emerged, being the biggest of them all so far. __I couldn't hold on any longer, it sent me flying off the cliff. __I shifted my position so I could see the ocean water getting closer and closer. The water was no longer calm and light blue, but a dark murky color that was thrashing about. I screamed the whole way down. __Before I hit the water, surely going to die from impact, I glanced up at the two Pokemon. __They each launched another powerful attack on the other, creating a massive explosion, much larger than the rest. __I saw the world slowly become swallowed up by fire. __I looked back down, seeing that the water was about to swallow me up. Right as I was about to make contact, I heard a voice._

_"You're the only one who can stop this. Stop it before it's too late."_

_And that's when I saw a yellow shooting star fly across the sky._

* * *

**~End of Dream Sequence~**

I shot straight straight up out of my bed, apparently startling the person next to me.

"ACK!"

**WHAM!**

Eh? Apparently someone was sleeping in a chair next to my hospital bed, I guess me suddenly waking up scared them. Wait...what the fuck? I'm in a hospital bed?! I started to freak out as the startled person got up off the floor and sat on the side of the bed, embracing me in a hug.

"You're awake..."

"Well no shit, what gave you the first clue?"

Gold just laughed, breaking away. "That's makes this three."

I shot him a confused look. "Three what?"

He smiled at me, wrapping me in his arms, I didn't protest. "That makes this the third time I've saved you."

I smiled into his shoulder at this. "Eheh...I guess I owe you one, huh?"

Gold pulled back and shot me a goofy grin. "You kidding? Saving you is my pleasure!" He pointed to himself in a goofy way, losing his balance and falling off the bed right as Silver walked in. I just laughed so hard as Gold sheepishly got up.

"You're an idiot." Silver said. Surprisingly, he wasn't glaring. It was as if the angry side of him had melted away.

"I see someone's in less of a pissy mood." I smirked at the red-head. His eyes widened in shock, probably just now noticing I was awake. I just sweatdropped. "Jheeze, how long was I out...?" I asked, sheepishly rubbing the back of my head.

Silver sat on the other side of my bed, the one Gold wasn't on. "Four days." He replied, refusing to look at me.

"HOLY SHIT! WHAAAAAAT?! I sat straight up, knocking both guys off the bed. "Whoops...sorry guys!" I sheepishly apologized. They both just laughed and got back up on my bed. I wrapped one of my arms around each of their necks, pulling them to my sides in a hug. "Aww, I love you guys! You were all worried about me!"

"Yeah, we were. So why don't you do us a favor and stop hospitalizing yourself." Silver grumbled. I just laughed, letting go of Gold to ruffle his hair.

"I'll go tell the nurse you're awake." Gold said, dismissing himself from the room.

I let go of Silver, who still refused to look at me, looking at the floor. I just crossed my arms and looked at him.

"Shut it."

"I didn't even say anything!"

"You were thinking it."

"Are you saying my thoughts are annoying...?"

"Yes, yes I am."

"Aww...you're so mean!"

**WHAM!**

"GODDAMMIT WOMAN!"

"Sorry! I just ment to playfully shove you! I didn't think you were that much of a whimp and would fall off!"

"I'm not a whimp! You just caught me off guard!"

"Sure, sure."

"I'm not."

"Yes you are."

"No I'm not."

"Are too!"

"Am not!"

"AHEM." Nurse Joy cleared her throat, walking into the room with Gold.

Silver and I stopped bickering (for now) and turned to face Nurse Joy. She explained what made me so sick. Apparently, hypothermia barely had anything to do with it, this time...it was only a mild case. She has no idea what caused me to black out, neither do the guys. She gave me some pain killers for my headache and discharged me from the Pokemon Center/Hospital, letting Gold and Silver help get me back on track.

"So, what did I miss...?" I asked as we exited the Pokemon Center.

"We both got our second badges." Silver replied, looking at the ground and stuffing his hands in his pockets.

Hmm. "WAIT WHAAAAT?! YOU GUYS CHALLENGED BUGSY WITHOUT ME?!" I shrieked, startling them both.

"You were out for four days..." Gold sweatdropped, pointing out the obvious.

"Oh yeah, I guess you're right." I smiled at the both of them, turning around and happily skipping towards the Gym.

"Bipolar much...?"

**SLAP!**

"GODDAMMIT WOMAN!"

"IF YOU DON'T WANT TO BE SLAPPED SILVER THEN DON'T BE MEAN!"

"Says the one who just slapped me..."

"SHUT UP! VIOLENCE AND BEING MEAN ARE TWO TOTALLY DIFFERENT THINGS!"

"No they're not."

"Are too!"

"Are not."

"Are too-"

"GUYS! BREAK IT UP!" Gold said, wrapping his arms around me, restraining me so couldn't hit anyone...again...

"FINE. I need to go challenge the Gym anyways!" I grumbled, storming off towards the Gym.

"Uh...Tigerlily? Forgetting something?" Gold asked.

I spun around on my heel and shot him a weird look. "What could I possible be forg...oh...You guys have my Pokemon, don't you...?" I asked sheepishly.

Silver stepped up and handed me both Quilava's Pokeball and my Pokemon Egg. I held onto the Egg and clipped Quilava's Pokeball to my belt. Before he could go back to being annoyed by Gold, I playfully ruffled his hair, showing that I forgave him for our fight the other day.

I shot the guys a goofy smile. "I'll be back in a bit! Don't kill each other while I'm gone!" I sang teasingly.

"No promises on that last part..." Silver grumbled, causing both me and Gold to sweatdrop. Erm...anyways...

I made my way through the Gym's front doors, taking in the scenery. The walls were painted to resemble a forest, and the floor was covered in rope-like spider webs. There were little Spinarak cars that led you across the ropes, if you chose the right one. You had 3 options for each platform, and there were only 2. Well, it's a good thing I like puzzles... Luckily, I managed to pick the right one each time, allowing me to avoid having to battle the underlings. I carried my Egg and released Quilava, having him follow me close behind. I made my way up to a girl in a green field researcher's uniform who was holding a bug catcher's net. She had purple hair and welcomed me to her Gym with a smile.

"Hello! I'm Bugsy! I never lose when it comes to Bug-type Pokemon. My research is going to make me the authority on Bug-type Pokemon! Let me demonstrate what I've learned from my studies." Bugsy said, grabbing a Pokeball and releasing a Scyther.

I nodded my head in a agreement, silently signaling I was ready to begin.

"ROUND 1!" The referee announced.

_"Her Pokemon look powerful...Type advantage or not, I want you to be careful. Got it, Quilava?"_

_"As you wish, Tigerlily."_

"Use Quick Attack!" Bugsy ordered.

_"Counter with Flame Wheel."_

Scyther lunged at Quilava with an incredible speed, landing a direct hit. I winced at his pain, that had to be painful. Quilava endured the hit and shot a Flame Wheel at Scyther. The bug Pokemon took the hit, and it did considerable damage. I'm surprised he endured it, I expected that Flame Wheel to end with a 1-Hit KO. It wasn't about to give up without a fight.

I just smirked. _"Finish it."_

"U-Turn!"

Scyther shot himself at Quilava, hitting him with a strong Bug-type attack. Before Quilava even had a chance to get up, Scyther was automatically returned to his Pokeball. What? Oh...I see. That move is a "Hit-and-go" type of move, makes sense.

_"Stay strong, buddy."_

_"Did you ever doubt me?"_

I just smirked to myself as Bugsy sent out a Kakuna. "That's pretty impressive...I've never seen someone battle without having to say their Pokemon's commands!" Bugsy said in awe.

_"Flame Wheel."_

"Poison Sting!"

_"Dodge it and try to land a critical hit, if you can."_

Quilava incinerated the weak attack with a Flame Wheel, hitting Kakuna head on. The under-leveled Bug-type didn't even stand a chance. Kakuna fainted.

Bugsy's jaw just dropped. "Whoa..."

"Uh...ROUND 2!" The referee announced.

"Go, Scyther!"

_"Finish him."_

"U-Turn again!"

Quilava managed to burn Scyther with his Flame Wheel attack, but it must've been holding a Sitrus Berry because he managed to regain some health. I winced at the uppercut blow Bugsy's Scyther delivered on Quilava before returning to his Pokeball.

_"Oww...you still ok to fight?"_

_"Of course...I'm stronger than I look. Besides, who else do you have to fight with?"_

Good point...

"Go, Metapod!"

_"Same thing."_

"Raise your defense with...eh?" Bugsy was cut off by a scorched Metapod sent flying past her. Bugsy winced, returning the charred Bug-type to his Pokeball. She reached for Scyther's Pokeball, releasing her final Pokemon.

"ROUND 3!"

Let the real battle begin.

"U-Turn and follow with a Quick Attack!"

_"Dodge both and counter with a Flame Wheel from behind, looks like Scyther only needs one more hit."_

Scyther lunged for Quilava, but the Fire-type ducked and slid across the floor behind Scyther. He shot a Flame Wheel at him, just in time for the Bug-type to turn around and take the hit straight to the face.

**WHAM!**

Scyther fainted.

"THE MATCH GOES TO THE CHALLENGER...uh...Kid, what's your name?" The referee asked.

I looked up, allowing my hair to move from my face. I let the referee see my fiery red eyes. "Tigerlily."

"Wow, Tigerlily! You must be an expert on Pokemon!" Bugsy cheered, returning her fainted Pokemon. She placed the Hive Badge in my hand, congratulating me on my victory.

I nodded and dismissed myself, returning Quilava to his Pokeball. I exited the Gym, regaining my bubbly attitude. Wow...I never realized how serious I am when it comes to battling.

**KABOOM!**

What the...oh. I just laughed as I approached the boys, watching the end of their Pokemon battle. It was Bayleef vs. Croconaw at this point, looks like they're in the final round as well.

"Razor Leaf!"

"Dodge it and use Bite!"

Bayleef jumped over Croconaw and dodged the attack, allowing herself to deliver the final blow. She shot at least one hundred leaves at the Pokemon, landing her super-effective Grass-type attack. Croconaw face planted into the ground, not trying to get up.

"Tch." Silver returned his fallen Pokemon to its Pokeball.

"Great job Bayleef!" Gold enveloped his starter in a death hug.

I started to clap, gaining both of their attention. Silver looked defeated, while Gold looked cheerful (even if he lost I think he'd still be like that) "You'll win the next one." I said as I walked up to Silver, patting him on the back. He just scoffed in return, turning away from me. "Great job, Gold." I smiled at my other friend from across the battlefield.

"Thanks!" He shot me a goofy grin.

We all went back to the Pokemon Center and gave all 7 of our Pokemon to Nurse Joy (Quilava, Croconaw, Zubat, Gastly, Bayleef, Flaaffy, and Scyther) don't ask me when Silver caught a Zubat, when Gold's Mareep evolved, and where the heck he found a Scyther. Traveling with these two has taught me not to ask questions anymore... It was awkwardly quiet, well...until...

**CRACK!**

The Egg shifted. "Hey! Look, I think the Egg is hatching!" Gold said excitedly, pointing to the orange Egg in my lap. Both Gold and Silver got up from where they were sitting and took a chair on each side of me as we watched the Egg hatch.

**CRACK!**

**FLASH!**

My jaw just dropped. "I don't know what the heck you are but you're so friggen adorable!" I squealed, jumping up and hugging the baby Pokemon to death as I spun around.

Silver just facepalmed. "You're an idiot, that's a Charmander." He scoffed, as if it was obvious.

I handed Charmander to Gold. "I HAVE AMNESIA AND NO PRIOR KNOWLEDGE OF POKEMON! HOW WAS I SUPPOSED TO KNOW THAT?!"

"You left out the part of how you had only half a brain to begin with."

"I DO NOT!"

"Yeah, you do."

"Do not!"

"Do too."

"Do not-"

"GUYS!"

* * *

**So it was Gold who saved her after all. Sorry for all you SilverLily shippers! I told you it could go either wayyyyyy! But that doesn't mean the shipping has been decided, although. You won't find out who she ends up with until probably like the last chapter! And yes, I know that Bugsy isn't a girl...I just found that out AFTER I wrote this...eheh...don't criticise me I'm too lazy to go back and change it!**

**Read, review, and enjoy!**


	9. Chapter 8: Ilex Forest

**(Tigerlily's POV)**

"AM NOT!"

"Are too."

"GUYS! BREAK IT UP ALREADY!"

"HE STARTED IT!"

"SHE STARTED IT!"

"Wait what? Hey...stop copying me! I said stop! Ugh!" Both Silver and I said in unison, sighing in defeat and plopping back into our chairs in the Pokemon Center.

I was in a really pissed off mood until a pair of teal eyes were looking into mine, curiously. Charmander was peering over the top of my head, looking at me upside down. I just laughed and took the baby Pokemon in my arms as Nurse Joy came back and handed us our Pokeballs back.

I clipped Quilava's Pokeball to my belt and properly captured Charmander. I let him out so that I could train him later. Today, we're leaving Azalea and heading towards Goldenrod City.

We exited the Pokemon Center and turned right, entering the gate that led to Ilex Forest. There was a guy freaking out about missing Farfetch'd at the front entrance, which Gold dragged Silver into helping him find. I, however, wandered around the forest away from the guys. Finally alone, I set Charmander down.

"Ok, so I'm your new Trainer, Tigerlily." I introduced myself, holding my hand out to him.

Charmander nuzzled it and laughed. _"Ok, hi Tigerlily. Why are you telling me this if you can't even understand me...?"_ Charmander asked the rhetorical question.

I just smirked. "Actually, I can understand you."

_"WHAT?!"_ Charmander gaped at me, startling me a bit and causing me to tumble backwards.

I just laughed as I felt my back bump into something.

**CRACK!**

Uh oh...

I turned around to see that I had crashed into what looked like a shrine of some sort, damaging the front of it a little.

Whoops...

I was about to say something, but I started to get a major headache.

Arceus...not this _again_...

I fell to my knees, clutching my head. I saw a flashing light before my eyes, it flashed twice before all I could see was darkness. All of a sudden, I was completely tuned out from my surroundings, once again entering a completely different world.

* * *

**~Illusion Sequence~**

_A white line split the darkness in half horizontally, engulfing everything in a blinding white light, including me. It covered the former dark void in a bright flash of light that blowed backwards towards me, blowing my hair back from the strong wind. I placed my arms protectively in front of my face as the wind ran through me._

_The light died down and the wind stopped._

_I found myself standing in the same spot, still in front of the shrine. But, something was different. This time, instead of taking me to the past, I think these visions took me to the future. Everywhere I looked in Ilex Forest, I saw-_

_Fire._

_The trees were burning, being charred. I could hear the sound of Pokemon screaming as they were engulfed in the flames, a terrible thing to witness, at that. I spun around in a circle, getting a good look at my surroundings._

_I was in a ring of fire, I saw no green whatsoever, just orange and red. There wasn't a single tree that wasn't being swallowed by fire or charred thoroughly. The shrine caught on fire, causing me to back up from it._

_I was completely surrounded by fire, having no way out._

_If this is only an illusion, then why can I feel the fire licking at my skin and smell the scent of burning flesh...?_

_The fire was burning me, it was excruciatingly painful. I tried to run away, but I couldn't. I was trapped. I tried to shield myself from the fire with my arms, but had no luck._

_I looked up to the sky to see that it was all dark purple, grey, black, and dark blue. It looked like outer space in a way, covered by massive storm clouds. All of a sudden, a bolt of lightning shot down from the sky and was heading straight for where I was standing._

_I was frozen in fear, I couldn't move._

_"GET OUT OF THE WAY!" Someone shouted to me as they literally flew into me, pushing me out of the way of the lightning strike._

_I looked up to see a green Pokemon I've never seen before._

_"Who are you?" I asked._

* * *

**~End of Illusion Sequence~**

Before I could get an answer, my vision ended. I found myself lying down on the forest floor, staring down at me were a pair of teal eyes.

_"Finally! You're awake! I was worried you'd never wake up..."_ Charmander worriedly said, hugging my face.

I petted the scared Pokemon and sat up, leaning up against the shrine. "I'm sorry if I worried you." I said.

_"It's fine...could you please just tell me what's going on?"_ He asked me.

I let out a loud sigh, releasing Quilava from his Pokeball. I figure he should be here to hear this too.

What I didn't notice was that one of the boys were standing behind a tree, listening to this entire conversation.

I went ahead and relayed everything I knew to both Charmander and Quilava. The traumatizing dreams I've been having, the weird black out moments that have happened two times now, the Kimono Girl somehow knowing me, how Team Rocket is supposedly after me, and I can talk to Pokemon. I spilled all the details to my Pokemon, not leaving out a single detail. It felt good to get that weight off my shoulders, finally telling someone about it.

"You guys have to promise to keep my secret, ok? Not even Gold or Silver can know about any of this." I explained to them both.

Charmander put a paw on my lap, looking up at me curiously. _"Why can't you tell your friends?"_ The baby Pokemon asked me.

I sighed at his naive-ness to the situation at hand. "You're too young to understand. It's just...if either of them found out-" I paused for a moment, looking up into the sky, thoughtfully. "I don't think they would treat me the same ever again. They'd probably think I'm a freak, and that's not too far from the truth. They would reject me, hate me, who knows what they'd do...all I know is, they can't find out. If they reject me for who I am, then I'll have no one..." I looked back down at my two Pokemon, noticing that they had tears in their eyes.

_"So...what? You're just gonna hide your true self from them...forever?" _Quilava asked me, he was clearly against my decision.

I nodded my head, patting the fire Pokemon. "I'm afraid it has to be that way. If they knew about me, they'd think I'm a monster and turn me away. Then, I'd be all alone. You guys don't understand what it feels like to be all alone, but I do..." I blinked back tears and looked down into my lap, biting my lower lip. "I am a monster...a freak who doesn't belong anywhere-"

_"DON'T SAY THAT!"_ An unfamiliar voice said as I was tackled by something small.

I just blinked and sat straight up, seeing a little girl Torchic sitting on my lap.

"Who are you..."

_"Please don't say that! That's a terrible way to think, and a wrong way at that!" _The Torchic scolded me. _"I know what it's like to be abandoned and all alone, don't say that no one understands how you feel." _She huffed, ruffling her feathers as she blinked back tears.

"Please don't cry!" I scooped up the Torchic and hugged her. "I'm sorry, I wasn't thinking. Did you hear all of that...?" I asked her.

Torchic broke away and stared at me. _"Yes, I did. My Trainer was from a different region and decided that he didn't want me anymore, so he released me in these unfamiliar woods when I was just a hatchling about 2 weeks ago. That's when mama took me in. I've been living here ever since. You should talk to mama, maybe she can make you feel better...wait a sec...are those burns?!"_ Torchic asked, pointing to my arms.

What?

"Oh my gosh!" I exclaimed, taking the time to look over my arms. How did I not notice this before...?

My arms were covered in burns, they weren't too bad, but still painful. How did I get burned? And when?

Wait...

Was it...from that weird black out moment? I did dream that I was being burned...wait. Does that mean...I was actually there?

Oh my god...

_"MAMA! HELP! THERE'S A HURT HUMAN OVER HERE!"_ Torchic screamed into the air, flapping her tiny wings frantically.

Mama?

**FLASH!**

_"Torchic? What's the matter-OH MY GOSH!" _A white and green Pokemon teleported in front of us, she was staring at my burns curiously.

Wait...that's the Pokemon I saw in my black out moment! What the hell is going on...?

The tiny green Pokemon flew down over to me, placing a hand on my head. All of a sudden, I was engulfed in a white light. When the light died down, me and the four Pokemon (Quilava, Charmander, Torchic, and the green Pokemon) were in an entirely different place.

I just blinked.

Once.

Twice.

This place can't be real...it's just...wow.

I was standing on a grassy forest floor, right in front of a massive cobblestone bridge. The bridge led to what looked like a small castle hidden deep in the Ilex Forest, clearly an ancient place. It's was built into the side of a waterfall, and a rainbow shined overhead.

Wow, this is...beautiful.

There were Pokemon of various types and species running around, minding their own business. This looks like a castle...for Pokemon. Perhaps it's their home? And for some odd reason, it has a sense of familiarity to it.

_"Come with me." _The green Pokemon ordered me, ushering me over towards the bridge.

I returned both Quilava and Charmander to their Pokeballs, clipping them to my belt. I made sure to restrict the movement of my arms, being careful not to injure myself further. I scooped up Torchic and hugged her close to my chest, sort of like a Poke-Doll. I followed the green Pokemon across the bridge, making my way over to the waterfall castle.

Words cannot even begin to describe this beautiful place. Flowers, rainbows, streams, waterfalls, an ancient and worn down castle, a bunch of Pokemon...this place had it all.

We stepped up to the front gate of the castle, stepping inside.

There were grey cobblestone floors, red carpets, tapestries, chandeliers, staircases, this place looked like an old castle from long ago.

I was taken to what seemed like an old physician's room, and the green Pokemon made me sit down in a chair. Torchic hopped up onto the workbench next to me, eyeing the room curiously.

"Umm...excuse me? Who are you?" I asked the green Pokemon.

She turned her head to look at me. _"You don't remember...?"_ She asked. All of a sudden, a thought dawned on her. _"Oh! Uh...right. I'm Celebi, it's nice to meet you, Tigerlily."_ Celebi introduced herself.

I just shot Celebi a weird look. "I never mentioned what my name was..."

Celebi just brushed me off, changing the subject._ "So, how did you get those burns...?"_ She asked me.

I hesitated, not sure if I should tell a Pokemon that I just met one of my biggest secrets.

_"Go on, you can tell her." _Torchic reassured me, flapping a wing in Celebi's direction.

I just gulped. "I uh...dreamed that I was in a forest on fire...this forest, actually. In my dream the fire burned me, and when I woke up...I had these." I explained, pointing to the burns on my arms.

Celebi seemed to mull this over for a moment. _"Interesting...well, I'm not able to explain that. But, I can heal your burns."_ Celebi said, but I'm pretty sure she's hiding something...wonder what?

Celebi placed a hand on my arm, it started to glow with a white energy. The white energy flowed from her palm and into my arm, and I felt my burns healing. After about a minute, I was 100% better, it's like I was never injured in the first place. This is wicked cool...but also weird.

_"Ok, I healed her. Torchic, I'd like you to take Tigerlily back now, please." _Celebi ordered the small chick Pokemon.

_"Aww...but mama? Can't she stay? I like her..._" Torchic whined.

I just smiled and petted her head, stroking the orange plume that stuck straight up. "Y'know...you could always come with me." I suggested.

Torchic turned to look at me with a puzzled look, completely astonished by my offer.

I pulled out an empty Pokeball from my skirt pocket, placing it in front of Torchic. "Pokemon Journey, exploring the region, becoming a strong team, making friends with all of us...what do you say?" I asked.

Torchic looked up at Celebi with hopeful eyes, and received a head nod in return. She pecked the white button with her beak, being engulfed in a white flash and going inside of the Pokeball.

One shake.

Two shakes.

Click!

Awesome! I have a new Pokemon!

I went ahead and let Torchic out, clipping her empty Pokeball to my belt.

_"All right, Torchic, please escort Tigerlily back now. We don't want her friends to get worried and come looking for her, finding this place." _Celebi said, placing a hand on my forehead again.

"WAIT! I want to ask you-"

But I was caught off by being teleported back to the spot in front of the shrine...what? But I...how? Ugh...never mind...I just don't care anymore.

I can communicate with fire types via telepathy (I tested it out on other types, having no luck)

I have these weird black out moments that show me the past, present, and future. Also, I can get injured during the illusion sequence.

I can talk to all Pokemon out loud.

Team Rocket knows me.

That Kimono Girl knows me.

I suspect that Celebi knows me.

...how much more fucked up can my life get?

"Tigerlily! There you are!" I heard Gold call out as he and Silver came running over to me. "Where've you been? We've been looking all over for you!" Gold exclaimed.

I just did a shoulder shrug. "Sorry, got lost, I guess."

Silver eyed me curiously, then looked away when I caught him looking at me. He hasn't said a word to me since this morning at the Pokemon Center, and now he's acting all weird. What's all that about?

Eh, probably nothing.

"So what did you guys end up doing?" I asked.

Gold just beamed at me. "Oh! We ran around in the woods trying to get this guy's two Farfetch'd back, it was really hard! I had to get both on my own though, since Silver ditched me and wandered off somewhere." He explained.

I nodded my head, and then we decided to keep going through the forest, trying to find our way out. This forest is really big, but the path that takes you to Goldenrod isn't that bad, pretty short and straightforward. As long as you stay on the path, you won't get lost in the woods. That castle that Celebi took me too...who knows where it could be, this place is too big to search. But...the thing is...I want to go back.

Because for some odd reason, for the first time in my life (that I can remember, that is...) I actually felt like I belonged somewhere.

We walked through the forest, trying to get out of here. I'm pretty sure Gold got us lost, but he refuses to admit it. How can you get lost when there's a path that leads you straight to the other entrance...? I have no idea...but apparently we're not the only lost ones in here.

I looked ahead and saw a Kimono Girl. If I didn't know any better, I'd say it was the same one from Violet City. Most people would probably think that too, but for some reason...I can recognize a distinct difference between the two. Weird.

Once again, it's probably nothing.

The Kimono Girl saw me and did the same thing the last one did, she gasped loudly and enveloped me in a death grip. Gold and Silver were really confused, and so was I, but somehow this seemed normal to me.

The Kimono girl broke away and looked at me. When I looked at her, I didn't see someone familiar, probably as she had expected me to. "So...it's true. You really don't remember." She mumbled to me quiet enough so Gold and Silver didn't hear.

I shook my head. "I'm sorry, I don't. But can you please tell me how you know me...?" I asked.

The Kimono Girl bit her lip, contemplating her options. "I'm afraid not...if Arceus intended for you to forget, then it's probably best for you not to know." She replied.

I just shot her a weird look. "What? What are you talking about? Can't you tell me anything about me? Or how you know me? Or who the hell I am in the first place?" I questioned her.

She looked at me with sympathy. "I'm sorry, but there's nothing I can tell you. It's not safe for you to remember. It was nice to see you again, Tigerlily."

Before I could even say anything, she took off, making her way out of Ilex Forest.

"Tigerlily, what was all of that about...?" Gold asked.

I just continued to stare blankly in the direction the Kimono Girl had left in. "I wish I knew..."

* * *

**Wow, so much happened in this chapter! Sorry for the late update, guys. I had major writers block for this chapter, hopefully more updates will come sooner for this book, it depends. I've got several more books I'm currently working on, so we'll see. Hope you liked the chapter! Thanks for the inspiration, Rose!**

**Read, review, and enjoy!**


	10. Chapter 9: Welcome to Goldenrod

**(Tigerlily's POV)**

We stepped outside the forest exit, finally getting out. It took us 3 whole hours of wandering around, thanks to Gold's poor sense of direction. And I thought I had it bad...

Anyways, that's not the point. We found ourselves not too far from Goldenrod City. The boys went ahead, eager to challenge the Gym, while I stayed behind. I mean, I've got 2 new Pokemon I need to train...

I battled a few trainers with both Torchic and Charmander (thoroughly freaking them out during the battles since I did my usual and gave commands via telepathy...their faces were priceless!) Then, I had my Pokemon challenge some wild Pokemon to battles after that. I had already gotten some training done in Ilex Forest earlier, so it's not like I was starting from scratch. I think Quilava is about level 22, and Torchic and Charmander are level's 14 and 15. That's not too bad, but they still have a ways to go if they want to catch up to Quilava. Plus, I plan on challenging the Gym later, and I don't want to use Quilava since he's gotten a bunch of training already.

Wow...since when did I become such a hard-core Pokemon Trainer?

We all stopped for a break, sitting down near the water and breaking out our lunches. I pulled out a sandwich from my pocket, and various berries out of another for my Pokemon. I should really invest in a bag, that would make things so much easier...I think there's a Department Store in Goldenrod, actually...

And I'm getting off topic, whoops. Anyways, we sat by the water and enjoyed our lunches, looking around at the scenery. It was nice and peaceful, until I heard yelling and shouting coming from a small nearby building.

There was an older Trainer (probably about 19) and an Old Man arguing outside of the small building.

"I told you, I don't want it. It's weak, I have no use for it. Release it for all I care." The Trainer said bitterly.

The Old Man just glared at him. "You can't just talk about a Pokemon like that! They have feeling too, y'know!" He scolded.

The Trainer just scoffed. "It's a girls Pokemon, it's not my type. I could care less about what it feels." He brushed the Old Man's lecture off, turning on his heel and walking away.

The Old Man just stared after him in awe, completely dumbstruck at the Trainer's behavior. A little fire-horse Pokemon peered her head out from behind his leg, looking off in the same direction her Trainer had gone. Poor thing, she must've heard everything her Trainer said about her.

"Now what am I going to do with you?" The Old Man sighed, mumbling to himself as he looked down at the Pokemon.

Quilava, Charmander, and Torchic all ran up to them, jumping up and down frantically.

"Where did all of you come from?" The Old Man wondered out loud, looking at the three fire types in confusion.

I got up and walked over to them, just now being noticed by the Old Man. "Those are my Pokemon, sorry! They don't usually run off like that." I apologized. "Anyways, I just wanted to say...I'll take her." I offered, pointing to the Pokemon, who I now recognized as a Ponyta.

The Ponyta just looked up at me, very confused, yet hopeful. The Old Man looked at me with the same expression. "You would take care of this Pokemon...?" He asked in disbelief.

I smiled and nodded, crouching down to Ponyta's level, holding my hand out to her. "That is...if she wants to come with me. It's entirely her choice." I explained.

Ponyta looked in the direction her old Trainer went, then at me, then at my hand, then up at the Old Man, then back at my hand again. She stepped forward, cautiously, and placed her head on top of my hand. I smiled and rubbed her cheek, earning a sad smile in return.

The Old Man just looked at me curiously. "Ah-well, then it's settled! Thank you! I think she'll be better off with you rather than her old Trainer." He said to me.

I nodded, pulling an empty Pokeball out of my pocket. I set it down in front of Ponyta, and she pushed the button with her hoof, being pulled inside of the Pokeball.

One shake.

Two shakes.

**Click!**

Success!

I picked up her Pokeball and let her out, clipping the empty Pokeball back to my belt with the other three. Three new Pokemon all in one day, wow!

Which means I'm going to have to train a lot more today than I had originally anticipated...

Oh, the life of being a Pokemon Trainer.

Eh, it's totally worth it. I love this life!

I went ahead and did some more training with Charmander, Torchic, and now Ponyta. I managed to level them up a bunch, resulting in Charmander evolving into a Charmeleon, and Torchic a Combusken. So far, this is the team I've got:

Quilava: level 22

Charmeleon: level 18

Combusken: level 17

Ponyta: level 16

I used my Pokedex to track the progress of my Pokemon, and I was definitely happy with the results. (Seriously...how can I fit so much shit in my pockets?!) As we continued to train, I let my mind wander in a million different directions.

When will I ever figure out who I am? Will I ever recover my memories? I haven't remembered anything... All I know is: Team Rocket (whoever the fuck that is) is after me and they want me for some odd reason, the Kimono Girls somehow know me (and I'm assuming there's more than just two I've met so far) I'm majorly fucked up and have a bunch of superpowers somehow...even though they're not even possible...and my name is Tigerlily.

Wait a sec...Oh my god.

A name just popped into my head, I think it's my full name. Oh my god did I just remember my full name?!

Tigerlily Sora Akari.

That's my name. WHAT THE FUCK?! I was literally thinking about nothing, and that makes me remember something?! But when I actually sit down and try to remember something, I can't remember anything. I'm going to say this again...WHAT THE FUCK?!

My name...is Tigerlily Sora Akari. Huh, that does sound familiar, I guess that really is my name...

I can't wait to tell Gold and Silver about this!

Speaking of Silver...what's up with him lately?

I know he thinks that I'm annoying as fuck, and I can't really disagree with that, but that doesn't explain why he's been ignoring me all day. The last time we spoke was literally our argument this morning in the Pokemon Center, and that was back in Azalea. He shoots me sideways glances occasionally, as if he's trying to form an opinion of me...but what's all that about? He's even hanging out with Gold...willingly. I made a joke and touched his forehead, pretending to take his temperature. I asked him if he was sick or something, only to receive a scowl in return. At least Gold thought it was funny...I am funny goddammit! And it used to be that Silver would hang out with me more, mostly to get away from Gold, but now it's the other way around.

But why?

And what's up with all those visions I've been having? All the dreams? I'm so lost... Those two great bird Pokemon fighting and causing massive destruction...I really hope it was just a dream. I really hope all of those visions were dreams, just figments of my imagination. The freaky ass science lab, the dream about Silver as a kid, the dream of the great bird Pokemon fighting, and the dream about the Ilex Forest being on fire and Celebi tackling me out of the way of a lightning bolt...

I just don't know what to think anymore.

I'm pretty sure I've already asked myself this...but...

How much more fucked up can my life get?

_"Tigerlily...? You ok?" _Ponyta asked me, waving her hoof in front of my face as she walked up to me.

I shook my head, snapping out of my trance. I noticed I was leaning up against a tree trunk, sitting in front of a large patch of grass. Combusken, Quilava, and Charmeleon were all training themselves on wild Pokemon as I sat here and watched, occasionally giving telepathic commands.

What? If I have these epic powers, may as well use them. In case you haven't noticed, I don't train my Pokemon like normal Pokemon Trainers. I let out all of my Pokemon, then have them all go to a large patch of tall grass. I sit off to the side and watch them all train themselves on wild Pokemon, and occasionally I'll step in and give commands.

"I'm fine, Ponyta. So what's up, cutie? Something on your mind?" I asked the small fire-horse, petting her head.

She sighed and took a seat in my lap, curling up and getting comfortable in a ball. I continued to pet her as she rested her head on my thigh.

_"You heard what my old Trainer said about me...right?"_ She asked, her eyes started to get watery.

I felt my heart break a little, looking at this depressed and innocent Pokemon. I felt like I could relate to her. "Yes I did, and that guy is a total arrogant prick and I want you to forget about him." I replied almost immediately, my words surprised Ponyta.

_"Wha-why? Why should I forget? What he said is probably true..."_ She mumbled in a hurt tone, blinking back tears.

"Absolutely none of that is true, and I want you to believe me when I say this. Pokemon and people are equals, and don't you ever forget it. That guy had no right whatsoever to treat you the way he did, and that's exactly why I took you in. I wanted to take care of you because I didn't want you to grow to hate humans for the rest of your life." I looked down at the small fire-horse in my lap, and she looked up at me. "Sugar cube, I think you have the most potential here out of everyone on this team, but don't tell them I said that." I flashed her a warm smile.

She weakly smiled back. _"And...why do you say that...exactly?"_ She asked me.

"As the saying goes, what doesn't kill you makes you stronger. I think today's events will change you forever, for better or for worse. Now, it's your turn to decide how you want to make the rest of your life turn out." I finished up my pep talk, continuing to pet her.

She stayed silent for a moment, thinking over her reply before she said it. _"Thanks...I think-I think I want to...I want to become a strong Pokemon, and I...I want to fight alongside you. I want you to take care of me, and in return, I'll take care of you. I want to help you achieve your dream, and I'll achieve mine by becoming one of the strongest Pokemon on your team."_ She smiled at me.

"And I'm glad to have you on board." I smiled back.

_"Hey, mama? Can we take a break now?"_ Charmeleon asked me as my other three Pokemon stopped training and walked over to me.

Mama? Yeah, a lot of them do call me that. I think it's kinda cute, I sorta am a Mom to all of these Pokemon in a way.

I scooped all four Pokemon up in a big group hug. "Of course! You guys all did great today, and I'm so proud of all of you!" I smiled at them, letting go.

_"So, I have to ask. I know you're traveling with Gold and Silver, becoming a Pokemon Trainer...but...Tigerlily? What exactly is it that you want?"_ Ponyta asked me.

It fell dead silent, all four Pokemon just looked at me, as if they were all asking me that very same question.

I began to twirl my orange hair in my fingers, then I looked down at the ground as I thought over my reply. As soon as I thought of the perfect thing to say, I smiled and looked back up at my Pokemon Team.

"What I want...is to find myself." I replied.

_"Alright then, I want to help you with that."_ Combusken said, placing one of her hands on my shoulder.

_"Me too!"_ Ponyta cheered.

_"Count me in!"_ Charmeleon roared, cracking his knuckles.

_"I've been with you from the start, and I'm definitely not backing out now. I'm for it!"_ Quilava beamed at me.

I started to get all teary eyed. "Aww...thanks guys! Even though I just met three of you today...I love all of you so much!" I cheered, once again wrapping them all in a big group hug.

I figured we should be heading to Goldenrod City right now, so I went ahead and returned everyone to their respected Pokeballs to rest up. I looked up into the sky, noticing that the sun was starting to set.

Gold and Silver both have probably finished their Gym challenge by now, and they should be in the Pokemon Center.

I walked down the dirt path, approaching a large oval-shaped archway. I stepped through, and took a look at the big city before me.

Giant skyscrapers that looked like they truly reached up into the sky, black streets with golden brick sidewalks that framed both sides, lamp posts scattered around and illuminating the big city, and a beautiful sunset hovering above.

Welcome to Goldenrod.

* * *

**Sorry for the short filler chapter, this was mostly just so Tigerlily could get the next addition to her team and think about a lot of things. Not much action in this chapter, mostly philosophizing and chatting with her Pokemon/training them. Despite all of that, hope you guys liked it!**

**Read, ****review, and enjoy~!**


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